On the wrong side of the law
by ohxhellxyes
Summary: Virginia's the goddaughter and under the protection of one of the mob bosses in Gotham. What happens when a new, dangerous criminal mastermind takes over the city and happens to cross roads with her? First fic! Joker/OC
1. The Daughter of a Mobster

_A/N Hello. *wave* I'm proud/scared/happy to introduce my first fanfiction ever. So really, I'm pretty terrified at the moment. And what's funny, I personally used to read only one-shots, not having the patience to read anything with over two chapters, and now I've already written four chapters for this one and I'm not nearly done. Huh. It's a funny world we live in, don't you think? I'll shut up now, leave a review if you feel like it, I'm not going to demand that from you, being incredibly lazy to write reviews myself. And as I said, I've already written the next chapter, I'll post it faster if you go through the trouble and ask for it. Heh. One more thing: we did go through the story with my friend several times, trying to eliminate typos and such, my apologies if some got through the filter. *g* Needless to say, unfortunately I do not own Joker, Gotham, Gambol or pretty much anything, apart from Miss Virginia Patrick and the plot.  
_

Virginia Patrick had a dilemma. Should she wear her favourite jeans, with which she would just have to wear high heels and risk her ability to move quickly in case something went wrong? Or, should she wear her converse and use those other trousers that weren't quite as figure-hugging as the first ones? She'd already been pondering in her walk-in closet for 25 minutes when her godfather, who was also her guardian, started knocking loudly on her door.

"Virginia, what the _hell_ are you doing there? We're gonna be late and get our asses capped at this rate", Gambol shouted through the door and Virginia swore she would "cap his ass" herself if he didn't stop bugging her. And using that idiotic slang she'd learned to detest soon after she'd moved to this stupid American town. God, she missed London so much.

"I'm coming I'm coming!" _you annoying specimen of humanity, _she added in her mind. Yeah, the nicer jeans and heels it was. She couldn't think of a reason why she would have to run, she was taken everywhere by car and in case of emergency her "bodyguards", two huge twats her godfather had hired to "keep her safe at all times", could probably be persuaded to carry her if she fluttered her eyelashes a little. Grinning to herself, she finished dressing, grabbed her purse and opened her door to find her godfather staring at her, looking extremely frustrated.

"What's up with those shoes?", he asked and Virginia glanced at her feet. Black with chromed heels, they were _gorgeous, what was his problem_?

"What, they're nice, aren't they Freezer?", she asked her bodyguard who was waiting a few feet away. _What a stupid name, _she thought to herself as the bulky man took a look at her shoes with his mouth open and shrugged. _Idiot._

"I ain't gonna let you walk into a _mob meeting_ lookin' like that!", Gambol shrieked. Virginia closed her eyes and took a deep sigh before calmly stating:

"I can't see what's wrong with my shoes, considering that your... _lady friends,_ seem to wear quite similar ones."

"That's because they're _hos_, but _you're_ my goddaughter!"

Freezer tried to hold in a snicker, failing terribly and letting out something between a giggle and a snort. Gambol quickly shot him an angry look, shutting him up effectively. Virginia was dumbstruck. _What an _ass_ he is! _

"But I-"

"You gonna get your ass back to your room and change into something more appropriate for a girl like you and you gonna do it fast!"

"Aaaargh!", she turned around, slammed the door in his face and stamped back into her closet. She yanked her heels off, coming to the conclusion there wasn't enough time to change trousers and slipped into her converse. _That bloody idiot, thinks he can rule my whole life, making me walk around with those stupid overgrown pigs and never letting me do _anything _without telling him. "A girl like me"?! I'm bloody nineteen years old, I'm old enough to decide what to wear. _

When she made it back to her room's door she was still furious, but lucky for him, Gambol wasn't there to feel her ire. Instead her _dear_ bodyguard Freezer was there, guiding her towards the door and out the apartment, into the hummer outside. She _hated_ that car. It was big, pretentious and absolutely ridiculous.

Come to think of it, she hated pretty much anything her godfather did, said or owned. But she wasn't stupid. She was the daughter of_ the _famous English mob boss Edward Patrick, the first and probably the last Englishman to start and run a crime family in Italy. He had became rather powerful and that's probably why he and Virginia's mother had been blown up nine years earlier. Virginia had been visiting her grandmother in London at the time and she hadn't been killed. Soon after her parent's deaths Virginia had been sent to America to be looked after by Gambol, her godfather and Edward's very good friend.

So now that she thought of it, sitting in the backseat and looking Gotham's streets flash by, she should be nothing but pleased that she was being taken care of so well. All her life she'd always got all the toys, clothes and things she needed. And without her influential godfather, she'd probably be dead by now, considering who's child she was. _God I'm such a spoiled brat_, she thought with a pang of guilt.

"What you thinking kid?", Gambol inquired from the other side of the seat. Virginia glanced up and realized how deep in thought she'd been.

"Um, nothing. Just wondering why I have to come to these meetings", she didn't feel too comfortable taking part in these mob meetings. The most dangerous men in Gotham, gathered around one table. And she couldn't even wait in the car, Gambol always dragged her inside to be gazed upon by horny henchmen. _Hmm. Maybe _that_ was why he wanted her to_ _avoid dressing too conspicuously. Who knew?_

"Well, it's only for your own safety, you know that Virginia? Wanna keep you in my sight at all times."

"Yeah. I... appreciate it." She preferred to be called Gin, or Gina, or even Ginny, not her whole name. However, after telling that to _him_ a hundred times, she'd given up and now she just tolerated it.

After fifteen minutes of driving, they came to some warehouse. _How original._ These meetings were always held at some kind of a storage apartment, and they all looked the same to her. _Sigh. _Good thing she'd brought her nail file.

After the regular check that there were no snipers (O_h come on)_ or anything else suspicious in sight, Gin and Gambol stepped out of the car and started walking with Gambol's entourage towards the building. There were some other cars already parked closer to the door, and by the looks of them, Gin thought, they were Maroni's. _That pompous Italian twit. _Yeah, she didn't like him. Always looking down on her and making stupid comments whenever she happened to bring a cappucino or something else to eat with her.

They went inside and were greeted by the usual security check, metal detectors and such. One time her belt had beeped and boy, had the bastards had a laugh with her. Trying to yank her belt of themselves and get a feel of her in the process. _Ugh. _This time all went well with her, whereas Gambol and his men gave away at least one gun each.

The set was the same as always: a bunch of tables arranged in a circle, barely sufficient lighting and shady men sitting around the tables. After taking part in these meetings so many times, Gin already recognised that everyone was there, apart from the Chechen. He and his men were _always _late, so no surprise there.

She did the same as always, looked for a place to sit somewhere by the wall, spotted a spare table, and sat down on the dusty thing while Gambol and his goons took their places by the table in the center of the hall. She took out her nail file and started to indifferently go through her nails.

"Hey Red!" _Oh, please no. _There was only one person present who would make snarky remarks on her hair. She glanced at the table and sure, that twat Maroni was looking at her. "Had any doughnuts lately? Your thighs are looking particularly _full_ today." She could hear a few snickers coming from Maroni's men from across the hall and she chanted to herself _stay calm stay calm, do not get upset that is exactly what he wants_.

"Not really, been too busy continuing my father's work, _you know_, slitting some Italian throats." _Oops. _Maroni's face tightened considerably and Gin was so glad that all guns were taken away by the door.

" Now listen you little-"

"_Soorry_ I am late", came the Chechen's voice as he strolled in with his men and took his place by the table. Gin stuck her tongue out at Maroni who just continued to look furious.

There were several confused noises around the hall as a television screen was brought and placed on an empty spot at the table. Soon it was turned on and a familiar face appeared on the screen. Gin couldn't quite remember the name, but she was sure she'd seen that face somewhere before. _Lin? Lan? Hmm, whatever._

"As you're all aware, one of our deposits was stolen. A relatively small amount, 68 million", the small man in the tv started. _What's his name? Damn._ The Chechen cut in:

"Who's stupid enough to steal from us?"

"Two-bit whack-job, wears a cheap purple suit and make-up. He's not the problem- he's a nobody. The problem is: our money being tracked by cops", Maroni stated, turning his eyes to Lau.

"Thanks to Mr. Maroni's well-placed sources we know that police have indeed identified our banks, using marked bills. And are planning to seize our funds- today", Lau said from the tv, causing surprised murmurs around the table.

"And since the enthusiastic new D.A. has put all my competitors out of business, I'm your only option."

"So what are you proposing?", Maroni questioned. _Arsehole. _Gin kept shooting angry glances in his direction.

"Moving all deposits to one secure location. Not a bank."

Then Gambol cut in, making Gin look at him out of habit:

"Where, then?"

"No one can know but me", at this the men around the table, especially Gambol, shook their heads with an incredulous look on their faces, "If the police were to gain leverage over one of you, everyone's money would be at stake."

"What stops them getting to you?", The Chechen inquired, he was actually the one who was taking Lao's proposition the most seriously. Gin on the other hand kept wondering what was the name of the man on the telly.

"I go to Hong Kong. Far from Dent's jurisdiction. And the Chinese won't extradite one of their own."

Dent. Gin had heard that name so many times during the past few months that she was starting to hate the man. Gambol had already missed some cash thanks to that new D.A., and even if it was criminal income, Gin didn't want her godfather to suffer. And, let's face it, Gin had never really been on the right side of the law, she believed in what she was raised to believe. She had never concretely stolen anything herself, but all she'd ever had had been payed with, ahem, dirty money. Oh well, not that she would care to pay taxes, whatever her situation. She was comfortable with her life, after all she had nothing to compare it to.

"How soon can you move the money?", Maroni said.

"I already have. For obvious reasons, I couldn't wait for your permission. Rest assured, your money is safe", Lao stated calmly. Gin couldn't get her finger on the bloke's name, it was starting to nag her.

Suddenly her and everyone else's head snapped to look to the far corner of the dim hall. Was it... _laughter? _

_N/A THANK YOU for reading. ^^  
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	2. An Unexpected Turn

_A/N: Hi again, thank you for the reviews, I honestly wasn't expecting to get _any_. I have to admit, they are addictive. Fine, you have really turned me into a review junkie, satisfied? Heh. Anyway, so many people have added this to their story alerts (thank you, I can't stop smiling and giggling) that I really wanted to give you the next chapter already. Just, don't get used to it, okay? No really, hope you like it. ^^ (and just to be safe: I own only the plot and our dear Ginny, nothing else)_

Yep. _Creepy_ laughter, that is. Gin felt her body go rigid and adrenaline start to rush as the terrifying cackle got closer and she saw a figure come out of the shadows. How he had gotten there, there was no door on that corner of the hall, she had no idea. As the figure, that she realised was a man, walked closer and closer to the table, she felt a small wave of relief. Why? Because she was sitting so far from the centre table, in the shadows where she was harder to notice. And indeed, the man hadn't even glanced her way.

When he came to sit by the table, taking a place like it was meant for him, she got a proper look at his face. _Oh. A two-bit whack-job, wears a cheap purple suit and make-up. _It was most certainly him. He had painted his face white, apart from his eyes that had been circled with black, and his mouth that was... Gin squinted her eyes, trying to stay unnoticed, and saw what he had on his face. _A Glasgow smile. _Oh she would recognise one anywhere. When she had been no more than nine years old she'd seen a smile like that. Done by her father. To a guy who worked for him. Well, the bloke was a squealer, he'd deserved it. Or so she had been told. And this... _clown,_ had smeared, what was it, lipstick, all over his mouth and the scars to make them look like they were all just a big mouth, curling upward into a ghoulish smile.

"I thought _my_ jokes were bad", the clown said. Gin felt like running as far away from him as possible, but the men around the table just stared at him, some looking extremely irritated.

"Give me one reason why I shouldn't have my boy here pull your head off", Gambol rumbled. _Oh no, don't talk to him, _Gin panicked inside her head, hoping the clown would just disappear the same way he'd appeared.

"How about a magic trick?", the clown asked and Gin listened to his voice, it was... _how to put it nicely? Uhm, _original.

The clown pulled something out of his pocket and for a moment Gin was sure he would pull out a gun and kill everyone, put it was a pencil. He stuck the pencil onto the table, leaving it standing.

"I'm gonna make this pencil... _disappear_", the clown said, waving around with his hands. While he did that, Gambol gestured to one of his men, the one Gin knew by the name Cane and who she thought was extremely unfriendly, who stood up and started heading towards the clown. When Cane reached out to grab him, the clown did a side-step out from his reach, grabbed his neck and slammed his face onto the table, making the pencil... _Ouch. _Gin winced slightly but did nothing more, she was used to seeing men get beaten. Cane went limp and slid of the table.

"It's, it's _gone..._", the clown declared dramatically and sat down. Apparently Gambol wasn't too keen on Cane either since he didn't do anything. The Chechen kept nodding his head slightly at Gambol, obviously impressed by the "trick" the clown had pulled off.

"Oh, and by the way, the suit, it wasn't cheap. _You_ ought to know, you bought it", the masked man said, straightening his collar. At this Gambol's patience ran out and he shot up from his chair, ready to beat the clown into unconsciousness. But the Chechen stopped him from doing it.

"Sit. I want to hear proposition", Gambol took a few deep breaths, then sat down reluctantly. Gin was terrified. For the Chechen, that is. Even if Gambol would never laid a hand on her, it didn't mean he wouldn't on others who got on his nerves.

The clown licked his lips, gave Gambol a knowing look and pointed at the Chechen. _Stop that, would you. _If at first he'd terrified Gin, now he was just being obnoxious.

"Let's wind the clocks back a year. These, cops and lawyers wouldn't _dare_ cross any of you", said the clown whose hair, Gin noticed, was a shade of green. _What the... _

"I mean, what happened? Did, did your _balls_ drop off? Hmm?", he continued. _Oh damn, stop annoying the mobsters, will you?!_

"You see, a guy like me-"

"A freak", Gambol cut in, earning a few laughs from his men. The clown didn't take that too well, he seemed to lose his train of thought and just stared at Gambol for a few seconds.

"A guy, like me... Look, listen. I know _why_ you choose to have your little, ahem, _group therapy sessions_, in broad daylight", he held back a giggle when he said it, "I know, why you're afraid to go out at night." Gin listened to his words from her hiding place just as closely as the men around the table seemed to be listening. _Why _hadn't _someone pulled his head off?_

"_The Batman. _See, Batman has showed Gotham your true colors, unfortunately. Dent, he's just the beginning. And as for the... _television's,_ so-called "plan"-", Gin almost chuckled to herself, apparently the clown didn't know the guy's name either, "Batman has no jurisdiction. He'll find him, and make him squeal!" He made a squeezing gesture with his hands, and Gin noticed that even his gloves were purple.

"I know the squealers when I see them. And...", he pointed at the man in the TV and... was that _a pout_ he did with his mouth? At that Lao disconnected and the television went black.

"What are you proposal?", the Chechen asked with his accent. He seemed awfully eager to co-operate with this lunatic, _helloo, this is the man who stole your money! _Gin couldn't help but wonder what the hell he had been smoking.

"It's simple. We, _uh_, kill the Batman", the clown said and several men let out a laugh.

"If it's so simple, why haven't you done it already?", Maroni asked, joining the conversation.

"If you're good at something, never do it for free", came the response.

"How much you want?", the Chechen questioned, _again, is he working with the clown or something?_

"Umm, _half_", and everyone laughed, except the Chechen, who just smiled. Gin wondered, _half of the _whole_ pot? Bloody hell, that's a lot of money, no way Gambol's going to agree to that._

"You're crazy", said one of the mob bosses, and the clown didn't take it much better than the "freak"-statement.

"I'm not. _No. I'm not._" Must've hit a nerve or something. All the while Gambol was positively squirming in his seat, flexing his fingers, ready to break the clown's neck.

"If we don't deal with this _now_, soon, little, uh, _Gambol_ here", _uh-oh, _"won't be able, to, get a, a _nickel_ for his grandma." Gin knew that a line, a very thin line indeed, had been crossed. She was right as Gambol surged up from his chair and started to advance towards the clown.

"Enough from the clown!"

"Aattattattatatataa", the clown said, opening his coat and revealing a bunch of grenades, their pins connected to one string that was attached to his thumb. A scared gasp came from the henchmen around the table and everyone froze.

Then the clown's eyes were staring right at Gin._ Shite. _She realized she'd made an audible scream when she'd realized what was inside his jacket. Gambol shot her an angry look, apparently he'd been hoping that she would keep quiet.

"Well _helloo_, beautiful", the clown purred, looking at her over Gambol's shoulder, still holding the string, wiggling his thumb and making the string loosen and tighten.

Gin was, let's say it, scared shitless. She couldn't move, she just sat on the edge of the table, not moving a muscle and breathing shallowly. The clown kept staring right into her eyes, a grin splitting, _literally_, splitting his face. Gambol was also wise enough not to move, but he said:

"Stop staring at my goddaughter, you _freak_!" The clown glanced at him at this, but soon returned his gaze to Gin, that overgrown grin still on his face.

"Hmm... _Goddaughter_?", the clown drew out, never taking his eyes off her. "What's your name, _precious_?"

"You stay away from her!", Gambol shouted, clenching his fists but still not moving from his place.

"Stop shouting, _will_ you? It's,_ rude_. And besides, I haven't been anywhere _near_ her... ye_t_", he almost whispered the last word, emphasizing the t, but there was a menacing glint in his eye that suggested that he just might mean it.

"Get me a gun!", Gambol shouted, looking towards the door where the security men where standing.

"Now, let's not _blow_... this out of proportion", the clown said, holding out the string on his thumb.

"You think you can steal from us and just walk away?!", Gambol was really getting pissed, Gin was worried that he might do something stupid.

"Yeah", was the clown's answer.

"I'm putting the word out, 500 grand for this clown dead. A million alive, so I can teach him some manners first" It wasn't the first time Gambol had put a reward on someone's head... And usually he ended up paying it.

"Right, so, listen. Why don't you, give me a call when you start taking things _a little_ more seriously? Here's.. my.. card." He didn't seem affected at all by the fact that Gambol had just put a bounty on his head. He put a playing card on the table, backing off to the corner where he'd appeared from.

"I'll see _you_ later, little one", the clown said, nodding towards Gin before he disappeared into the dark corner of the hall.

Gin realized that she'd been holding her breath when she finally dared to exhale after he'd left the hall. _Hoooly shit. _It certainly hadn't been one of those boring, uneventful tea parties that these meetings usually ended up being. As expected, Gambol started throwing things around, venting his frustration. After a while the men around the table started to disperse into their own directions and Gambol strided over to Gin.

"You okay?", he asked, holding her shoulders and looking into her confused eyes.

"Yeah, sure...What just happened?", Gin was zoned out, not really comprehending what had just happened.

"I ain't gonna let that_ freak_ get anywhere near you, you hear that Virginia?" _There's that annoying name again._

"Yea... Let's go home?" Gin just wanted to go to somewhere she'd feel _safe._

"Sure, sure", Gambol promised and started to walk Gin to the car.

_A/N: Good? Bad? Please, do feed my newest addiction and review. :D_


	3. Calm Before the Storm

_A/N: Warning: a _shameless_ filler chapter coming up! Heh, but bear with me, chapter number 4 will be the longest, and the most interesting, so far. *wink* Hm, this really_ is_ short. Well, I promise to update very, very, _very_ soon. Don't leave your computer. Your reviews make me giddier than a box of marshmallows, and that's a lot said. ^^ Again, unfortunately I own nothing but miss Patrick and the plot._

Gin woke up the next morning, feeling strange. Her head felt dizzy, which it always did when she woke up, but that day she felt particularly lightheaded. She slumped to her bathroom and looked in the mirror. _Yep, _huge_ bags under my eyes. _After they'd left the meeting the previous day, Gin had felt... torn. She had tried to rationalize it, why would she be afraid of some crazy clown, wearing a _purple_ suit?

Because the fucker had said "I'll see you later". The thought of him showing up again out of nowhere chilled her to the bone. But she had survived the last nine years, hadn't she? The whole Italian mafia had been out to get her, but under her godfather's wings she hadn't once felt threatened. Yeah, she had nothing to worry about as long as her godfather and his goons were around.

Reassured by the thought, Gin walked over to the kitchen to get some orange juice. It was the first thing she did in the morning, because if she brushed her teeth before drinking it, it wasn't worth the trouble anymore. _Ugh_. Gambol was standing by the large window in the living room and talking on his cellphone, laughing loudly every once in a while. Gin was pleased that he had something to counterbalance the crap the clown had been given him. And her. All of them.

She slouched back to her room with the carton of juice, put it on her nightstand and went to the bathroom to get a shower. _Oh to hell with it, I'll have a bubble bath. Maybe it'll help me to relax. _As she watched the hot water flow and steam the bathroom mirrors, Gin actually started to think that she could put it all behind her. Maybe it _had _been just a bad dream.

xxxx

In the evening Gin felt almost great. She'd gone shopping, nothing lifts your spirit like a dozen new cds, and she'd had a great dinner at the new Vietnamese restaurant a few blocks away. And all this she'd done in the company of her godfather. For once she wasn't complaining about the company.

She'd returned to the apartment, Gambol's penthouse located in a building downtown, with her two bodyguards, who were now standing outside the front door, keeping watch. Gin went to her room, shut the door and put on the small lamp on the nightstand. _Great_. She'd forgotten _the stupid orange juice_ on the table. She let out a deep sigh, feeling too tired to do _anything_ to the carton, so she just moved it to another table, behind her stereos so she couldn't see it from her bed. _Perfect. Out of sight, out of mind. _She put down her bag and dragged her feet to her closet, leaving the clothes she was wearing in a pile on the floor and changed into the drastically oversized t-shirt she used as a nightdress.

Slipping under her covers, Gin hoped that everything was okay with Gambol. When they'd returned from their shopping spree Gambol had felt like playing a game of pool, and knowing him he would end up playing until his back hurt or until they ran out of beer. _Yeah, he was with his _boys_. No reason to be worried... _And she fell asleep.


	4. Just a Bonus

_A/N: Love you guys ^^ And I only own Virgin-ia, just playing around so please don't sue me._

The next morning was just like all the rest. She woke up, practically sleepwalked into the kitchen and opened the fridge door._ No way_. No orange juice in sight. _Oh right_. The juice was in her room. Warm orange juice. _Oh yummy_. Gin gave herself a mental kick and took a look around. No one was in the kitchen or living room. Gin tried to listen if she was home alone and so it seemed. Her bodyguards had probably went to bed and the next shift had stepped in. Not that she felt like checking.

Still a bit angry at herself for being a lazy arse she went back to the hall, heading to her room when she noticed her door was shut. Surely she had left it open? Or maybe not, she really couldn't remember. _Oh, well_. She opened the door and took a quick glance around the room. _Nothing out of the ordinary_. So she headed to her bathroom and took a look in the mirror. _Woah_. She had felt too tired last night to wash her face, so she had developed a very nice pair of panda eyes during the night, her mascara and eyeliner definitely not where they were meant to be.

With a sigh, she bent down to wash her face, grabbing her soap from beside the sink. She used water a bit colder than usual so that she'd wake up properly. After she'd rinsed the soap off, she started reaching for the towel, but it wasn't in its place beside the sink. She remembered that there was another towel hanging from the wall behind her and turned around, reaching for it. She found it, it was actually closer than she remembered. _That's what you get for fumbling around with your eyes closed_. Drying her face, she heard a sound right in front of her. It was like a stifled... giggle? She stiffened, the towel still on her face. _Oh shite, please don't be..._

"Well goood morning, beautiful", came the all-too-familiar drawl, "although it _is _more like afternoon, already". Gin didn't want to take the towel off her face, maybe he would disappear and she'd wake up, realizing it was all just a dream. Then the man made a weird grunting sound and Gin realized that this was, indeed, very real. She tried to make an escape plan, maybe she could just stab him in the stomach with a... _toothbrush? Hair comb? Oh oh, lady shave? Oh god, I'm going to die, aren't I?_

Not thinking anymore, afraid that more _stupid _ideas might come out, Gin tossed the towel in the direction she thought he was and tried to make a run for it. She made it to the bathroom door when he caught up with her and grabbed her by the waist, lifting her legs off the floor.

"Help! Help me!", Gin started screaming, hoping that someone would hear.

"Um, you may stop screaming now, nobody's _there_", came the voice behind her, dragging her towards her bed. _Oh my god, he's going to rape me and _then _kill me_.

"Please don't rape me, please, just let me go, I won't tell anyone...", she felt like crying, but she couldn't, too much adrenaline or something. He burst out in laughter and Gin got startled. _Not_ the reaction she'd been expecting.

"Rape you? I don't wanna _rape_ you! Now that would be just,_ rude_", he said, throwing her on the bed while he remained standing. In the progress he caught a pretty good look of her knickers. _Wait, business first, fella, business first._

Gin backed up on the bed, staying on it while getting as far away from him as possible.

"Then what do you want?" All the while she tried to come up with an escape plan, she had no guns, knives or anything of that sort in her room. _Why don't I have a shotgun in my room? Why why why? _She took a quick glance around the room, came up with nothing and fixed her gaze on him again. He was staring at her with a funny look on his painted face.

"I just want to know your name, pumpkin", he said, moving his gaze to her nightstand. _What the hell? He broke into a mob boss' apartment, probably killed a bunch of people in the progress and he wants to know my _name_?!_

"It's Gin", she hoped that that was actually all he wanted and that he would leave now.

"Gin? Like, booze? Were your parents, alchies or something?", he seemed amused. _Bastard_.

"My. Parents. Were. Not. Alcoholics", she ground out, _no one_, she thought, _no one talks about my parents like that._

"Oh _reaaally_? Then why were you named like that?", Gin's anger seemed to make him even more curious.

"It's not my real name", she admitted, realizing how dangerous it was to be playing stupid games like this with an obvious psychopath. He stopped fiddling with the stuff on her nightstand and gave her a questioning look. When she said nothing, he made a wave with his hand, urging her to go on.

"Fine, it's Virginia", Gin gave up, turned her face away from him, towards the door that was slightly ajar. _Hmm..._

He noticed this, danced to the door and shut it. Gin flinched on the inside, realizing she had to be more careful in his presence. She squeezed her eyes shut and tried not to panic. _Oh bollocks, this is _so _fucked up. I'm going to die die die die._

With a sigh she opened her eyes, only to find that creepy smile only a few inches from her face. She shrieked and automatically backed away, and as she did, she fell to the floor on her back. No surprise, the clown started to laugh like a maniac he was, falling to the floor and holding his stomach. Gin could see him on the floor, watching him under her bed. He had his eyes closed and he seemed occupied enough not to notice her, so she jumped up and started to run for the door. She yanked the door open, and felt a thrill when she realized she'd made it to the hall and was running towards the front door. _Yes yes yes I'm free! _She tried to open the front door, yanking at the door handle but it didn't open. _Oh,_ come on_!_

"How in bloody hell do you lock a door so that you can't open it from the _inside_?!", Gin shouted and realized that the laughter had stopped. She felt eyes on her back, knowing what she would see if she turned around.

"Now now, watch the language sweetheart." Before she had time to turn around, she was being lifted by the waist as he threw her over his shoulder and started carrying her back to her bedroom.

"_Some_how I get the feeling that you're not _enjoying_ my company, _Virgin-_ia", he mused, reaching the bedroom and closing the door behind him. He threw her on the bed again, this time sitting next to her and looking at her under his brows, tilting his chin downward. He made a small smacking sound with his mouth and kept looking at her, as if waiting for something.

"I told you my effing name, what is it that you still want from me?", Gin asked, trying to sound calm and collected, but her breathing was still heavy after trying to wriggle out of his grasp.

"Tell me, who pays for your living? Who buys you _all _those cds, shoes and make-up?", he asked, out of the blue, changing the subject.

"Um, Gambol?"

"Yeah, I figured as much. _Now_, here's the deal, cupcake. He's dead", he said, glancing around the room in the process.

"What!?", Gin was shocked. Surely he was lying, wasn't he? _What am I going to do now?!_

"Yeah. It was a, a _very _unfortunate accident, involving a pool stick", he stated nonchalantly.

"And, and the guards?"

"Sorry girlie, they have also been recently... um, de_ceased_", he said, licking his lips. _Why can't he stop fidgeting?! Shit shit shit why did he do this?! This is my fucking end. _Gin didn't think she would be too likely to find _another_ mob boss looking for a foster kid. A grown-up foster kid, that is.

"Why did you do_ that_!?", something inside Gin snapped and she started beating him with her fists and kicking him where she could reach. She managed to get one good shot at his chin and he let out a loud "umhp" until grabbing her wrists on his hands and straddling her to keep her from kicking. _Shit, this is not good, not good! _

Gin realized she was fighting a losing battle and held still.

"Jesus, you're a feisty one, aren't ya?", he stated, bringing his face even closer so that their noses were almost touching. _Shit. _She realized that a _fucking mass murdering clown _was lying on top of her and she was breathing deep breaths after hitting him. _I hope to god he doesn't get the wrong impression... _

"Now. Are you able to have a, civilized conversation with me, or _not_?", he asked, looking into her eyes and quirking an eyebrow._ A civilized conversation? With _you_?! _She took a deep sigh.

"Yes?"

"Excellent! Now, yes, I did get rid of your little, guardian, but it had nothing to do with you. You're just a, a bonus!", he invigorated his little speech by moving his hands, still holding her wrists in them.

"A bonus?! I don't-"

"Shushushushushusuh, don't you wor-_ry_, little one, I'm gonna keep you and feed you and pet you!", he said with an eager voice._ Fuuuck, that didn't sound too good. Why won't he just kill me? _Gin started to put together the whole picture. Crazy psycho clown killed her guardian and his crew and now he wanted to "keep" her. _Shite. Maybe I could tell him that I... have lice._

"Whatcha thinking, _Virgin_-ia?", he inquired.

"_Stop_ calling me _that_", she tried to make a threatening face but didn't think she pulled it off too well, "_please_."

"Why is that, _Virgin_-ia? Are you not a _viiirgin_?", he purred.

"Oh my god, I don't need to answer that!", she couldn't believe what she was hearing! That vile, disgusting, murdering, sick _clown_!

"Fine, I'll find out eventually", he said, looking indifferently to the wall behind her bed.

"What the...?! Will you _please_ get off of me by the way?!" She was starting to feel the effect of having a hard male body so close to her. _Fucking teenage hormones. This is just sick._

He stood up, and Gin thanked god that he did. She stayed in place and slammed her palm on her forehead and let out a deep breath, trying to get herself together.

"You know, I didn't even get _started_ yet._ Jeez_, you are a _virgin_", he mused, rolling his eyes.

Gin couldn't help but gape at his words, _how can someone be so obnoxious?!_

"Yea sounds _un_believable, right? Don't_cha_ worry, I'll show you the _real deal_ one night", he continued, wiggling his eyebrows.

"Aargh would you shut up!", Gin shouted, covering her face with both of her hands. How could her life shatter into pieces in one morning? This, this man, whose name she didn't even know, just came and turned everything upside down and inside out. Did he even have a name? _Oh to hell with it_, she thought.

"And what's your name? Krusty the Clown?", Gin asked, still covering her eyes with her hands. Her answer was him whooping with laughter, causing him to fall to the floor again, holding his stomach and tears running down his face, smearing his already messy make-up even more. Gin rose to a sitting position on the bed, folding her legs under her. _What the _fuck_ is wrong with this guy?_

"You, you're _hilarious_! Oh _damn_, you're a keeper, I'm gonna have _so_ much _fun_ with you!", he managed to get out between his outbursts of laughter. _Not good,_ Gin thought to herself. Her concept of "fun" was probably anything but similar to his.

He stood abruptly, wiping tears from his eyes, and straightened himself. He bent down slightly, as if to bow, and reached out his hand. She considered for a moment and thought, _oh well, apart from my mind I have nothing to lose anymore_, and put her hand in his. He took her hand and brought it to his face.

"My _name_", he said, looking at her bewildered expression, "is Joker." He placed a kiss on her hand and she was completely zoned out, staring at the red smudge on her hand.

"Aaagh!", she then let out a surprised scream as the Joker yanked her by the arm, pulled her to himself and threw her over his shoulder, again, laughing to his heart's content.

"Now that the, _introductions_, are done with, you can kindly give me a, a tour, around _our_ house, _dear_", the Joker said, walking them both to the combined kitchen/living room area. _Dear? "Two-bit whack-job" doesn't do him justice, this guy should be in a padded cell._

"I, um, _our_ house?", Gin asked, trying to turn around on his shoulder, but he kept a firm on grip on the back of her bare thighs. _Shite, why didn't I put on my _pyjama_ pants?! _

"Well yeah, since I _am_ your new caretaker, finder's keepers, ya know? I _need_ to be where_ you_ are. _Now_. Where is my bedroom? Or do we share _yours_?"

"No!", came Gin's automatic response, no _way_ she was going to sleep next to _him_!

"You don't know what you're missing, but, suit yourself", he said, tossing her on the sofa and walking to the huge window that made up most of the wall. He put his hands behind his back and observed the nice view of Gotham's downtown.

Gin stared at his back from the sofa. _Caretaker? What the...? _She cleared her throat and tried to sound detached.

"So, what, are you just going to, like, take Gambol's place, or something? In theory, this place is mine now, considering that my godfather didn't have any children or even a girlfriend", Gin said, blurting out everything, not really thinking what she said. _God, I sound like an American teenager._

"_Hmm_?", the Joker mumbled, turning his upper body to look at her but keeping his feet where they were, "What if, what if I _am_, hmm? What are _you_ gonna do about it, huh?"

Gin gulped and instantly regretted her words as he turned and started to approach her, his shoulders hunched. _Quickly, say something!_

"No, nothing! I-I-"

"Well, I'm _so_ thrilled to hear that. 'Cause, _you know_, for a moment there, I thought you were implying that you don't, _enjoy_, my company", he said, crouching next to the sofa, bringing his face in level with hers and turning his lips downward in a mocking frown. _Shite._

"Um-", she started to say something, when a guy with a clown mask barged in.

"Boss! Problem with the new recruits", he said, taking a glance at Gin before looking back at the Joker.

"Damn, you just have to do _every_thing yourself these days, _don't_ you?!", he let out with a sigh, "You think you can handle the evening without me, _cupcake_?"

Gin was utterly pleased that he would be gone, but she didn't want to show it.

"I think I'll manage", she said, trying to sound as normal as possible._ Even if I'm not sure what "normal" is anymore..._

The Joker flashed her a grin, patting her bare knee and stood up. Soon both of the men were out the door and Gin could hear someone locking the door from outside. _Well isn't this just fan-bloody-tastic? _She sighed and fell back on the couch, once again covering her face with her hands. _Oh, right. _She lifted her right hand up in the air to study the back of it. There was the red smear, reminding her she wasn't dreaming.

_A/N: If you review, I'll update faster... ;D_


	5. Girl Bacteria

_A/N: I'm such a softie, originally I thought to post one chapter per week, but as you can see, not happening. It's your damn reviews and story alerts that make me slip from my, um, principles. No matter, keep them coming! And I know this is belated, but some coarse language in this chapter, as if there hasn't been any in the previous ones. Heh. And as much as I love the Joker and Gotham city, I don't own them. *sadface*_

To her pleasant surprise, Gin spent the rest of the day alone. Most of that time she spent pacing around the apartment, trying to come up with some kind of a plan. The front door, her only way out, was locked and by the sounds coming from outside, she was sure that there was someone guarding the door. _Great_. She was trapped inside her own home, waiting for her recently chosen, not that she'd been the one making the choice, mass-murdering and positively barking mad guardian to come back. Bastard had even taken her phone and laptop, who knows what he was doing with them.

Gin had even gone through Gambol's room, hoping to find an emergency cellphone or anything of sort. She'd only ended up feeling creeped out, going through a dead man's things. And yes, she'd had a minor breakdown, holding back tears as she grasped that her father figure of nine years had went to a better place. _Anyplace else is better than this god-forsaken hell hole of a city._

She walked in a circle around the small table in the living room, glancing nervously at the clock on the wall. 10.30. Maybe he wouldn't be back until next morning. _A girl can hope, right?_ She took a quick look at the big window, an imaginary light bulb almost lighting up above her head. _Maybe if I write a note on the window people in the next building will notice!_

She ran to her room, trying to find paint or something. To her disappointment she found nothing, her mascara or eyeliner wouldn't make letters big enough to notice on the glass.

"Fuck!" she exclaimed. _Great, I'm talking to myself._ She walked over to her bed and fell on it, ending up lying facedown. Her mind was a big mess, everything that had gone down that day screaming for her attention, she just wanted to empty her mind. _I know how to do that._

She went to her closet, moved a few shoe boxes out of the way and reached as far as the shelf continued. _There._ She pulled out a bottle of Beefeater (yeah, Gin liked her gin) and went back to the kitchen. It wasn't like she'd had to hide her drinking from Gambol, on the contrary, she'd hidden it just so that he or his men wouldn't drink it.

She found a bottle of tonic water, took it out and put it on the table to grab a glass from the cupboard. She fixed herself a gin & tonic and went to sit on the couch, putting on some stupid game show on the TV and decided to get spectacularly sloshed.

After half a bottle of gin and half a bottle of tonic Gin was starting to feel better. Much better, that is. Every once in a while she would remember her current situation and have a massive fit of laughter, when her eyes would water and her stomach hurt. She gulped down one more glass of gin, never minding the tonic and started to stagger towards her bedroom, feeling like she had succeeded in her little mission to forget.

Grinning to herself, she thought what she would say to that Joker wanker, had he been present. As if hearing her thoughts, the front door opened just as Gin was crossing the hall to her room and the Joker appeared, taking in Gin's blushed cheeks and slight wavering from side to side.

"Well hello there", he drawled as he turned to lock the door behind him. He then turned back to Gin who was standing a few feet away, looking positively wasted. _What has the silly girl done now_, he thought, chuckling a little to himself.

"What're you laughing ath?" The moment he'd appeared at the door, everything Gin had wanted to tell him had just vanished from her mind.

"At you, you teenage drunkard", he was ridiculously amused, he'd had no idea that the girl would get hammered while he was away.

"I am not. Not a... drunkdz." _What word did he just use? Stupid knobhead, I ought to-_

"Got to disagree with you, babe. Now, let's get you to bed, you know, before you barf all over the place", with that, he made a move to take her hand to escort her to her room, but Gin was again pissed off at him, and she started to hit his chest and shoulders.

"Don't you tuch meeh!", she shouted and tried to hit his chin, but he, once again, with ease, grabbed her midsection and threw her over his shoulder.

"As much as I'd _loove _to play with you all night long, you're drunk and need to sober up, kiddo", he opened the door to her room and started taking her struggling form to the bed.

"Fuck you!" Gin kept hitting his back with her fists, but he didn't even seem to feel it.

"Not _now_, Ginny, you're under the influence of alcohol, and I'd just hate to take advantage of you", he mused, throwing her on the bed and bending over her, whispering to her ear, "but I promise, some other time I'll, um, _show you the world_." He wiggled her eyebrows at Gin, she was staring at him, her mouth agape.

"Whazzat?", she slurred, not getting the Joker's meaning.

The Joker shook his head, grinned to himself and turned off the lamp on her nightstand. Taking one last glance at her from her door, he made a snorting sound as he found her already lying limp and drooling on her pillow. Boy, was he going to have a laugh at her in the morning.

*The next morning*

_Fucking hell. _

Gin woke up to the hangover of the century. She felt like there was a clamp squeezing her head, while someone was apparently hammering her on the top of it. She lifted her head from the puddle of drool she'd created on her pillow. _Yeeew_. She wiped her cheek and the corner of the mouth and rose to sit on the edge of her bed. Not a good idea. Her head started spinning around and something rose up to her throat. _Oh shite, don't tell me-_ She ran to the bathroom as fast as she could, having difficulties with going straight, and- well you can imagine what happened next.

Gin sat down on the floor next to the toilet, unable to concentrate on anything but her raging headache. _Mission certainly accomplished_. She took a moment to regroup herself and slowly stood up. Oh, throwing up had actually helped a little. _Brilliant._

She went over to the medicine cabinet to find an aspirin and poured a glass of water from the tap. In the process she took a glance at herself in the mirror. If she'd looked a little worse for wear the previous morning, it was then that she was in no condition to represent. Her makeup was, once again, everywhere where it shouldn't be, forming two black circles around her eyes. _I could with no doubt pass for the clown's daughter. Or girlfriend. Ugh, what am I saying?! _She shook her head to clear the thought, making it spin again.

Further looking at her reflection, she took notice of her hair, now protruding in every possible direction, looking remotely like a bird's nest. Her clothes were wrinkled, after having slept in them. _Wait a minute_, she made eye contact with herself in the mirror, _how exactly did I end up in the bed?_ Gin's last memory was that she was on the couch, listening to some peroxide blonde describing a self-cleaning aquarium. Was she alone in the apartment, or had someone come home while she was sleeping?

Not sure if she even wanted to know, she walked back to her room, pressing her ear to the door and listened. _Crap_. She could hear someone talking in the living room, and no-one could mistake _that _voice. The Joker was talking either to himself or on the phone. _Knowing him, it can be either._

Sighing, Gin turned around and pressed her back to the door. She needed something to drink, preferably orange juice, to get rid of the taste and feeling of sawdust in her mouth. _Thinking of orange juice... _She remembered the forgotten carton on the table next to her stereos. Sure thing, it was there. Gin walked over to the table and examined the carton. It was half-full, _or half-empty,_ she added to herself. She rolled open the cork and tried to see inside the carton, surprisingly seeing orange liquid. _Does orange juice spoil in warm? Oh, sod this, I'm going over there._

Gin took the juice with her and stormed through her door. She stomped to the kitchen, ignoring the Joker who was sitting on the couch in the living room, giving her a surprised look. She put the juice on the kitchen island and went to the fridge, yanking the door open and taking a quick look at the contents. _Apple juice it is, then. _She took the bottle, closed the fridge and took out the biggest glass she could find from the cabinet.

While she was rampaging in the kitchen, the Joker sneaked over, leaning on the kitchen island and examining her back as she gulped down two glasses of apple juice. Gin was savouring every drop, loving the feeling of cold juice running down her sore throat. _Oh, what the hell_. She shrugged to herself and took a sip straight from the bottle when someone cleared their throat behind her. _Sigh._

"Ex_cuse_ me", came the Joker's purr from behind her, "but I find it just a bit,_ rude,_ to drink straight from the bottle. You _know_, I'd have liked some too, but, _now_, it has your girl bacteria in it."

Gin was frozen in place, the bottle still on her lips, trying to comprehend what he'd just said. She rolled her eyes, put down the bottle and turned around calmly to look at him.

"Well, my deepest apologies, but I've got a hangover and I desperately needed something to drink", she stated calmly, her eyes finding the carton of orange juice, giving her a wicked idea, "but you can always have some _orange_ juice, that one I have yet to _contaminate_."

The Joker's eyes went to the orange juice, and he reached for it, licking his lips. _Oh I'm going to enjoy this_, Gin thought, holding back a smile.

"By the way, you look _awful_. I mean, _what happened_? Did you sleep in a dumpster, or something?", he said, giving her a once-over and gesturing at her with his hand while pulling the carton to him. Gin made an angry pout, trying to ignore the pounding in her head.

"For your information, I only got pissed to get my mind off this shite you've put me through-"

"Shushshushusuhs, love, watch the language", the Joker said, taking a big gulp from the carton of orange juice. Noting what he did, Gin burst out in laughter, even though it made her headache slightly worse.

As the Joker tasted that something was slightly, _off_, with the drink, his eyes widened a little, even though he didn't want to give Gin the pleasure of thinking she'd made a fool of him. He quickly collected himself, put the carton on the table and stood up from his chair.

_Oh shite._ Gin realized that he was probably mad as hell, and as he started to go around the kitchen island to get to her, Gin thought that it was her time to go. _Fine, my life's a mess already, it'll be a relief to get away. _So she didn't try to run away, she just closed her eyes and prepared herself for the blow.

The Joker walked in front of her, she was leaning against the kitchen counter, and cocked his head in amazement. _What is she doing? Hmm, a good moment to stir her up a little. _He cleared his throat loudly, making her open her eyes, still slightly wincing and waiting for him to hit her.

"What. Are you. Doing?", he asked, leaning in closer to her. She tried to back away, and the only way to do that was to jump on the counter. _What the hell is she doing, she's just gagging for it, isn't she?_

"A-are you going to hit me?", she asked, her voice trembling. She didn't even try to control it.

"_Well_, _I dunno_, were you trying to poison me there?"

"N-no! It was merely warm juice-"

"Then why would I want to", he made a face, "_hit_ you?"

"Aren't you, um, _angry_ with me?", Gin was starting to feel he was just having fun with her, twisted and evil fun. He squeezed even closer, placing himself between her legs. Gin took a glance downwards, her mouth falling open, not sure if she liked having him so close. He opened his mouth again and she returned her attention to his face.

"_Oh sweet cheeks_, I'm the_ Joker_. I have nothing, _nothing_, against some fun and games. To the contrary", he said, licking his lips in the middle and making Gin stare at his mouth, her mouth still hanging open. _This is too easy,_ he thought. "Which reminds me, how _old _are you exactly?"

Gin's automatic reaction would have been to say it was inappropriate to ask a lady about her age, but feeling that it wouldn't be the wisest thing to say at the moment, she blurted out:

"Nineteen." The Joker bit his lower lip, again drawing her gaze to his mouth, pondering for a moment._ Time to turn it up a notch, _he thought, putting his hands on Gin's hips and making her look into his eyes again.

"_Well_ then, that means you're a girl, no no, a _woman_, at her best", he purred, leaning closer, making her press her back to the cabinets behind her. She swallowed loudly._ Shite, is he trying to hit me or hit _on_ me? _

He leaned even further still, bringing his mouth to her ear so she could feel his breath tickling on her neck. _Time to put the girl out of her misery._

"You know, ever since I saw you in that warehouse, I haven't been able to get you out of my mind", he whispered, following her reaction and desperately holding in laughter, "I killed your, _god_father, just to get you all to myself, I couldn't _stand_ the thought of some other man being close to you."

_Fuck fuck fuck_, Gin couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"And really, _Virginia_, I, I need to ask you something", he breathed into her ear and heard what he was waiting for: her shocked gasp. He grinned and leaned back to look her in the eye.

"Gotcha", he said quietly but triumphantly. She stared at him, her mouth open as he laughed and backed away to lean against the kitchen island. He looked at her with a smirk on his painted face.

"You.. You arsehole!!" After Gin had gathered her thoughts, she realized how grossly he'd been leading her on! She jumped down, and started towards her room. She felt like hitting him until he'd be unconscious, but doubted her chances to succeed in that. She pulled at her hair while she opened the door to her room and swore under her breath. She slammed the door and finally let out a loud scream, venting her frustration.

The Joker chuckled to himself, still leaning on the kitchen island and looking at the direction she'd stormed. She was even more fun to play with than he'd thought, _maybe too much fun_... He stared into space and wondered if he could afford getting attached to his latest little toy. She _was_ fun, that much was definitely true, and he hadn't even _played_ with her properly yet. _At this rate it won't be long, though, _he grinned to himself and left the apartment. Time to blow something up. _Business before pleasure, after all._

_A/N: Mmm... brains... Oops, I mean, reviews... And don't worry, this was the last time I mentioned orange juice :D  
_


	6. A Surreal Awakening

_A/N: Yeah, little, very little, smut. It's pretty crappy at this point but hey, it's a dream, it's supposed to be a little less graphic than, um, when it actually happens. :D I'm just writing the, um, real deal, and damn it's so much harder to write than I thought. But after rewriting it three times it's starting to come along. U-uh. I can't believe how many people have added this to their story alerts, it's insane. I'm immensely thrilled. ^^ Keep bearing with me and you shall (hopefully) be rewarded. *g* I don't unfortunately own the Joker, just borrowing. :(  
_

Gin woke up the next morning, the sun shining in her eyes. She'd stayed in her room for the rest of the previous day, sleeping off her hangover. Fortunate for her, she'd remained undisturbed. What was _un_fortunate for her, her dreams had been extremely disturbing.

It'd been a while since she'd spent this much time with a man apart from her godfather, and being the teenager who she was, she'd of course seen, ahem, a dirty dream involving a certain clown. _My god I've gone mental. What the hell is wrong with me?! _Without a doubt it'd been that little, _episode_, in the kitchen that had got to her. She'd never had a boyfriend, and the little speech the Joker had given her, joke or not, had really made an impression. _Not my fault. _

In her dream, she'd been pinned against the wall by him, his leg between hers, his hands on the wall, keeping her from escaping. _Not_ that she'd wanted to escape. She'd been squirming against him, arching her back to get more contact while he'd been kissing and sucking on her neck. She had always been a sucker for possessive men, which was both odd and understandable, as she'd lived her whole life under the wings of overly protective men.

She'd put her hand on his neck, lifting his head to pull him in for a passionate, thorough kiss. His mouth had been so _hot_, the scars rubbing on the corners of her mouth, making her want to feel them with her fingers. He'd moved his hands from the wall to her hips, yanking her closer to him and putting their hips together. She'd yelped into the kiss, surprised from the sudden movement. He'd grinned, keeping his hands on her hips, pushing her back against the wall with his body. She'd lifted her leg to bend it behind his back, to pull his hips as close to hers as possible, her skirt riding up in the process.

He'd let out a stifled groan, making her grin. Then he'd ground the evidence of his excitement to the sensitive area between her legs, making her moan, and it'd been his time to smirk. He'd moved his hands down to her bottom, lifting her up to let her lock her legs behind his back, bringing them even closer to each other, but still not close enough.

He'd bitten down hard on her skin, making her sink her nails on the back of his neck and making her moan. She'd felt his hand under the hem of her skirt, fingers sneaking up her thigh, and she'd shuddered, imagining what was soon to come, his hand touching her _ther_e, _oh_, his touch had been getting closer, _almost there_-

And she'd woken up. Rapidly blinking her eyes she'd stirred awake, letting out a moan because her dream, even if it had been horribly wrong, had been interrupted. Now she was lying on her side, relieved that her hangover was gone, but something still felt out of place. She looked down on herself and noticed an arm on her midriff, a male arm by the looks of it. _What the _fuck_?_

She swallowed loudly, realizing that someone was actually lying right behind her, their body pressed to her back. She tried to jump off the bed, but the person lying behind her had obviously noted that she was awake, tightening their grip on her, preventing her from moving.

"_Goood_ _moor_ning, milady", the Joker said, pulling her back to his chest, "Did you, _sleep_ well?"

_Shite, does he know?_ Had she been speaking, or moaning more likely, in her dreams? Gin felt herself blush a bit, glad that he couldn't see her face.

"Um, yes, quite well, actually", she stuttered, trying to sound casual and composed.

"Seen any _dreams_ lately? _Hmm_?" The Joker had indeed been there when she'd been having her dream, he'd seen her squirm and heard her mumble in her sleep. He knew she'd been having a wet dream, but of whom, he wasn't sure._ But a guy can hope, right?_

"No!", Gin squeaked, "No, I haven't seen any... _dreams_."

"Then I _must_ express my, my _concern_ for you, since you seem to be an incredibly restless sleeper, rolling around the bed and making incoherent sounds. You're making me worried, pumpkin."

_Why is he talking like _that_? _Gin was now sure that he'd, indeed, been watching her sleep. _Creepy_.

"What, you've been watching me sleep?", she asked indifferently, trying to move his hand from her waist, not succeeding. His arm wouldn't budge.

"_Maybe_", he said, not admitting it fully, "Gotta keep an eye on my, um,_ investment_."

"_Investment?_"

"Yeah, _you know_, if I spend my hard-earned money on you", Gin rolled her eyes at that, "I can't let anything _happen_ to you, since in that case my money would go to waste."

"But... You _haven't_ spent any money on me, have you?"

"But I _have_. I already had some Italian dickheads killed, heard they were coming after _you_", he tightened his grip on her, "Can't let that happen, nu-_uh_. In the making, I lost some men, it's so _hard_ to find good employees these days, don't you think?"

_Italian assassins? Are Dad's old "business partners" still holding a grudge? Of course, now that Gambol's dead they think they can finish me off. _Gin thought about it, maybe it wasn't so bad to stick with this nutcase after all.

"Well, um, thank you for that", Gin said, still seeing only his hand on her waist. She felt him shift a little on the bed and next she heard his voice, right next to her ear.

"You are _wel_come, beautiful."

Gin got startled and automatically turned around to look to his direction. He let her turn around so she lay on her back, and he was hovering above her, their bodies not touching anymore. _Oops, awkward much? _A very vivid recall of her dream hit her, making her shut her eyes tightly and stiffen. _What the hell is she doing?, _he thought, arching an eyebrow and looking at her face. He knew that it was, again, a very unnerving situation for her, but was that her reaction to _everything_? She had an inscrutable expression on her face and she didn't make a move. _Is she even breathing?_

"Miss, _uh_, Patrick?" She finally opened her eyes as she swallowed loudly and unclenched her fists.

"What the, what the hell are you _doing_?", he continued.

"I-um, I, was just... Bracing myself." _Why did I say_ that, she gave herself a mental kick for not coming up with a better lie.

"Bracing yourself for _what _exactly?" _Is this chick mentally stable?_

"You're, you're not going to, um, _rape_ me, are you?" _Oh crap, well even if he wasn't going to he now most certainly is, you idiot! _She'd came up with the stupidest thing, Gin realized, only to hide her thoughts about snogging him!

The Joker couldn't believe what he was hearing. _What does she think I am_? Okay, he liked to blow things up and kill some people every once in a while, but never had he abused a woman. He'd threatened them, sure, but he'd never deliberately make a woman suffer unnecessarily.

"Um, why would I do _that_? That would be just, _cruel_. I told you earlier, missy, I _don't_ like to take advantage of women who are drunk or... um, mentally unstable." _That should sort her out._

"Well, um, I'm, um, glad to hear that", she thought about how stupid she must sound, "And, so, um, you're not going to do that?"

"Well, I _dunno_, if you _are_, _you know_, _into_ that sort of thing, I'm willing to negotiate."

"No no no no, I'm most certainly not!" Was she really having this conversation?

"Hmm, good to hear _that_. You _know_, for a moment there", his eyes wandered to her lips, "I thought you actually _wanted_ me to ravish you."

Gin swallowed once again. _Shite_, he was so _close_.

"Sorry to, um, disappoint you, but, um, no thanks." _Not that I would mind doing it deliberately. _Oh my god_, shut up shut up shut up! _She closed her eyes again, trying to perish the thought.

All the while the Joker was exceedingly amused, watching her internal struggle.

Letting out a chuckle, he started to lift himself of the bed, still not touching her until he started to walk away, brushing her thigh, this time covered by her pajama pants. This didn't go unnoticed by her, who notably stiffened. _This is just too easy_, he thought, shaking his head.

"_Great_, now that you have properly, _woken up_, are you ready to hit the town, _Virginity_?"


	7. Shopping with Larry

_A/N: Ring a ding ding, I'm in a __cheery__ mood tonight! It's four a.m. and I just finished polishing the disheartening chapter 8. Expect an update on Friday! People have put this story to their favorites, I'm exceedingly flattered and hope that the chapters still to come won't disappoint. Keep reviewing, doesn't have to be serious critique, it's just nice to hear if you like the story. Or the Joker. Or anything. I have nothing against serious critique either_. ^^ _Still, I don't own the Joker. If I did he'd be harassing me, not Gin. Not that I'm jealous. Damn._

"What did you just call me?" _That'd better be the last time he called me _that_._

"What's wrong, _Virginity_? That _is _your name, isn't it?", the Joker said, pushing her buttons on purpose. He kept his back on her, pretending to examine the tapestry.

"It isn't._ It's not_", she pressed. Virginia was a name bad enough, and he had to twist it and turn it into something even worse.

"But it suits you so _well_", he said, turning around to look at Gin who was fuming by the edge of her bed, "By what I've seen, and, um, _felt_, so far, I'd say that name does you more than justice."

"You're _disgusting_", she said, making a face at him.

"You wouldn't have me any other way, love."

"Actually I-"

"Enough chitchat, as much I enjoy getting you all riled up, we've got places to be!", he said with enthusiasm, slamming his palms together. Gin noticed that he wasn't wearing his gloves. "Get dressed, so we can get going? Great! I'll be waiting in the living room."

He hastened out of the room, leaving Gin behind with a hundred questions. She blinked a few times, the fact that she was apparently going to get out of the apartment sinking in. _Yes! _Not that she had a plan, but hey, it was progress compared to just pacing around the apartment like a feline in a cage.

After putting some clothes on, this time she'd chosen her outfit in a record time: fifteen minutes, she was getting more excited by the minute. _I'm getting out! Not sure where exactly, but as long as it's outside it's good. Maybe I could try something, try to escape... But how? _She couldn't call the coppers, her own record wasn't exactly clean, and she assumed that the Italians were still after her. _Shite. _She truly was in a dead end.

She wondered if staying with the pesky clown was her only realistic option as she walked to the hall, looking around to find the said clown. He noticed her from the living room and broke into a smile that would have been heartwarming, had it been on someone else's face. He spread his hands in an admiring gesture, giving her an appreciative once-over.

"You're looking absolutely amazing today, sweet cheeks", he said, taking her hand and kissing it in a parody of chivalry. She yanked her hand away, raised an incredulous eyebrow and didn't say anything as the Joker gestured her to move towards the front door. She went to the door and stopped next to it, knowing it would be locked, and waited for him to come and open it with an irritated expression on her face.

He took a bunch of keys from his pocket, _where does he use all of them?_, found the right one and unlocked the door. Instead of going through it, he stepped to the side and bowed.

"Ladies first, or what is it that they say?"

"What are you waiting for then?" She crossed her arms and looked at him with a defiant expression. He slowly straightened himself and took a deep breath.

"Why thank you, but I'm no lady. You see, I enjoy, violence, arsons, and rough and dirty sex in alleyways. I'm not a vulnerable virgin, who gets all fuzzy when a man is," he flashed her a knowing grin and stepped closer, "less than two feet away from me."

"Fine! Fine. Ugh!", she gave up and raised her arms in surrender.

_Wanker_, Gin thought, but went through the door. No one there. _I could make a run for it_. _The emergency stairs are just around the corner... _But before she could sprint anywhere, the Joker had thrown a possessive arm around her waist, pulling her to him. She glanced up to his face to see a wicked grin.

"No funny business, got that cupcake?" Gin only nodded frantically in response.

They took the elevator down to the parking hall and Ginny cursed that there were no security cameras anywhere. There had been a reason her godfather had chosen this building to buy an apartment from. It respected the privacy of its residents. The elevator doors opened and they stepped out, his hand never letting go of her waist.

There were some men hanging around the hummers that had once been Gambol's. _Those bastards are using _his_ cars!_ Gin's doubts were confirmed as one of the shady looking men opened the door to the black car, allowing her and the Joker to get in. Gin automatically backed away to the other door, trying to get some space between them. His reaction was to give her an amused look while making himself comfortable, spreading his legs and leaning down on the seat. He pulled out a small knife from his pocket, starting to play with it absent-mindedly. Gin took a second glance at the blade and decided to keep it cool. _If I can_.

The driver got in, started the car and violently pulled out from the parking spot. Gin looked out the window for a moment before turning her head to the Joker and asking:

"Where _exactly_ are we going?"

The Joker turned his gaze to her, scratching his left cheek.

"Well, if you haven't noticed, the fridge is almost empty, so we need to refill it", he said, using the tone a parent would use while explaining a kid why it's stupid to bite your own hand.

"What, so we're going _grocery shopping_?"

"No, _we're_ not. You and my friend here are." He pointed at the driver with the knife, and he gave Gin a hesitant smile.

Gin rubbed her eyes in disbelief. _Oh _come on_, grocery shopping with some crook? _Her life was getting more and more ridiculous by the moment.

"Don't ya worry, sweetie, he knows the consequences if he tries something funny with you", he said, apparently thinking she was afraid of the thug. She slowly lowered her hands, looking at the Joker from above them.

"Oh _really_? What if _I _try something funny?", Gin asked. The Joker gave her an "oh, _please_" -look and then turned his gaze back to the window.

"We don't need to find _that_ out, do we?"

Gin swallowed, watching him play with the knife, and said in a shrill voice, "No."

The car then curved to the parking lot of a supermarket.

"Now, I'm gonna wait here, in the car, while you do your little shopping. Larry here has the money, you just get what you want, mmkay?"

Ginny looked at the Joker as "Larry" parked the car right in front of the store.

"Um, okay...?"

"And _honestly_, Virginity, even if you somehow, _magically _manage to run away, I _will_ find you, okay? And when I will, I'll have to punish you", he said with a serious voice and Gin didn't feel like making clever remarks. Larry got out of the car and went to open the door for Gin, interrupting her reverie while she wondered what her "punishment" would be.

Of course, while inside the store, Larry kept always side to side with her. _Apparently I'm not the only one getting punished if I get away. _She just kept gathering things casually in the cart, trying to decide what kinds of foods she'd like to have. _And oh yeah_, Gin remembered, _a new bottle of gin_. She put a bottle in the cart, avoiding Larry's eyes the best she could. He did gave her a strange look, but decided not to ask questions.

To her own astonishment, she'd completely given up on the thought of escaping. Of course a part of her rebelled and tried to think of clever ways to get rid of Larry, but then she remembered that the Joker _would_ find her, and she didn't want Larry to pay the price for her taking flight.

_Since when have I cared for some small-time criminal? _Gin shook her head to regroup herself. She had everything she needed and headed to the checkout, Larry scampering a few steps behind her with the full shopping cart.

Gin smiled at the poor henchman and wondered what the Joker was paying him. _Probably not enough. _Larry returned her smile hesitantly and started to unload the cart onto the counter. The cashier wished them a good morning, not noticing anything strange in them. _If she only knew..._

Gin giggled to herself and the girl behind the cash register glanced at her, also smiling.

"Nothing, just remembered something funny", Gin cleared. The cashier just kept smiling, getting back to her work. Larry gave Gin a nervous look, scared that she might blow their cover and tell everyone that _the Joker_ was outside waiting them in a car.

She was actually weighing her options. Her latest plan was to wait until they'd leave the store, when she would make Larry carry the heavy shopping bags, and then make a run for it at the door. _Where would I run? To the police? Maybe not. Over to Amy's? Gambol had her uncle shot last week. Shite. _

Gin realized that even if she _did_ get away, she'd have no place to go. _Talking about a dead end._

Feeling defeated, she settled for hovering around, making sure that she stayed within Larry's vision. _No need to make him anxious, he's probably afraid for his life. _She took a transitory look at the window, seeing their car outside. Its windows were, of course, darkened so that you couldn't really see inside.

The Joker saw her at the store window and grinned. _Hmm, whatcha thinking Ginny? Not thinking about running away, are you? _She was looking quite nervous, worrying her lower lip. _She's got guts, who knows what she'll come up with. Not that I'd let her get away with it. _

He grinned to himself, admiring the shine of his pocket knife. He'd never had a _pet _before, and he was starting to think he quite liked his new toy. _Fuck, am I getting too attached? If something happens to her because of me... I can't afford to have something that can be used against me. _

He snarled, he'd just meant to have a laugh at her, and maybe bang her a few times. _But she understands this world, she's probably seen men get killed right before those green eyes and still she seems so innocent. Wonder if she's ever actually- Oh, shut the fuck up! _He closed his eyes and shook his head hard, then moving his gaze to the entrance of the store to see Gin and Larry coming out, Larry balancing four very _full_ paper bags. _Women._

Gin was furiously looking around, trying to find someone or something that could help her out of the situation.

"Nnngh", she made a strange, strangled sound of frustration and turned her head back towards the car. The Joker had noticed her little bout of hesitation and he looked at her observantly, waiting for her to make something desperate.

_Is this so bad? He hasn't beaten me, raped me or killed me, and he is also strangely appealing- no no no! Crap, I must have the Stockholm syndrome or something. _She shook herself mentally, opening the door to the backseat of the car, finding the Joker staring at her.

"_Virginity_, how nice to see that you're already so fond of me that, that you didn't try to _abandon_ me like, you _know_, like some one-night stand of yours", he mused, putting the knife back in his pocket and straightening himself.

"I don't do one-night stands", she said while she climbed in, keeping as far away from him as it was possible.

"_Don't_ you? Well, where's your better, or more likely, _worse_ half?"

"Don't have one."

"Oh, you, you poor thing, why is that?" He said in mocking concern, leaning closer to her but not touching. Gin turned her head to him, giving him an angry stare.

"Why would I?"

Larry had finished stuffing the groceries in the trunk and went to the driver's seat to drive them back, what was it, _home_?

"Because I know a girl has, um, _needs_. And unless you've got a, battery operated little _friend_ in the drawer of your nightstand, one-night stands is the only option."

Gin made a disgusted look, _I have no such thing_, turning to him. He was in a semirecumbent position, leaning over to her side of the seat and looking at her intently with a curious expression on his face.

"You make my skin crawl."

"In a good or _ecstatic_ way?"

"Neither actually-"

Suddenly Larry made a violent turn, making the Joker fall back to his seat and Gin's upper body crash into his lap. She automatically tried to get back to her side, but he wrapped his arms around her and kept her there.

"Now we're getting somewhere", he said excitedly, lifting his eyebrows at the unexpected, but pleasant turn.

"Let. Me. Go. Please? I, I want to look out the, um, _window_" _Shite, he's so warm and solid. And those arms- Oh shut it!_

"Sure you do", he said, stroking his hand up and down her arm. She was wearing a jacket, but that didn't stop her from feeling just the tiniest bit uncomfortable.

"_God_, would you stop that, _please?!"_

"Oh come on, _babe. _Sometimes you just gotta, _open your knees and feel the breeze_."

_What did he just say? Oh my god, this is really getting out of hand- _Her thoughts were interrupted as Larry hit the brakes a bit too forcefully and she crashed onto the car floor, her head ending almost between his legs. She was being tossed around like a bloody ragdoll. The Joker chuckled.

"Oh _Virginity_, I knew you'd warm up to me!", his laughter increased in volume as Gin shot him yet another angry look and pulled herself up from the floor, "But aren't you just a tad too eager? You _know_, I prefer my women to have a little _fight_ in them."

"Sod off", Gin bade to the Joker as she finally made it to her seat, just as Larry made it back to the parking hall.

"We're here, boss."

_Thank god_, Gin thought as she quickly got out of the car and started to scurry to the elevator, not bothering to wait for the Joker to get out of the car. _A moment more in the car with _him_ and I don't know what I'd have done. _She pressed the button to call the elevator and took a deep breath, trying to get her disheveled hair back to control. _Someone needs a cold shower._


	8. Bad Boy Appeal

_A/N: Yeah, as I said, this chapter took a ridiculous amount of time, three Red Bulls and one missed lecture. And I promised an update on Friday. It's 5:33 am here in Finland, Saturday already. Whatever, I couldn't sleep after watching Paranoid Activity with my roommate, who left to shag her on/off boyfriend and left me alone. Traitor. But yeah, hopefully this won't make you want to dig your eyes out or anything. Heh. I'm actually grinning at the moment. Looking like an idiot. Thank you for adding this to your favorites! I just can't comprehend it. And as usual, The Joker doesn't belong to me, it belongs to... DC Comics? I dunno, just not to me._

Gin was almost relieved to get back home. _What a spectacular failure._ Apparently she was going to settle for a life with _him_, goddammit she'd had several opportunities to flee! Then she remembered that she had nowhere else to go, and the Joker's threat to find her. _Guess I need to find me some wealthy son of a mobster to keep me safe. Yeah, right, from where? "A pretty redhead looking for a wealthy young outlaw to keep me warm. Oh, and by the way, the Italian mafia is trying to kill me and a crazy clown with a thing for knives wants to get to me."_

Surely the Joker and Larry had crammed into the elevator with her, the shopping bags in Larry's hands full of shoppings, ironically pressing Gin into the Joker's chest. Gin hadn't noticed his reaction because he was standing behind her, but he'd smiled like an idiot the whole way up.

From the elevator Gin walked to the front door of her (_or their?_) apartment, not surprisingly finding it locked. She huffed and stepped aside to let the two men catch up with her and open the door. The Joker opened it, flashing her a dazzling smile, and stepped to the side, bowing deeply and gesturing for her to go first.

She raised her eyebrows before grunting and stomping inside, holding her nose up cheekily. The Joker turned his head while still bowing to stare after her, admiring how her dark jeans hugged her bottom. He made a strangled sound, then straightened himself to follow her, cracking his neck while walking. _Business first, business _fucking _first._

The Joker followed Gin to the kitchen, where she was leaning on the kitchen island, waiting for Larry to bring the groceries in. Larry put the bags on the island and then looked at his boss expectantly.

"Thank you, _Larry_, you did an excellent job today, didn't _fuck up_ like I expected. You are free to go", the Joker said without looking at the poor man and waved his hand to dismiss him. Gin started to unload the bags into the fridge and cupboards. She didn't say a word and neither did the Joker. He didn't help her, just kept staring at her back. When he couldn't take it any longer he took a deep sigh.

"Oh, why so _serious_, Virginity?" Gin put the last items in the fridge and turned around to see him leaning on the counter and looking at her under his brows.

"What's there to be happy about?" She'd left the gin on the island to take it to her room and she started to walk towards it.

"What's there _not_ to be? The sun is shining, little birds are singing and you're alone in a room with _the_ sexiest and most attractive man in Gotham!" he said, sounding exhilarated, waving around with his hands.

Gin snorted and grabbed the bottle of gin from the table, and tried to quickly disappear into the privacy of her room, but the Joker noticed her taking the bottle and followed her quietly.

"You really _do_ have a drinking problem, don't ya cupcake?", he asked, making Gin let out an unamused laugh as she went to hide the bottle in her closet. _Old habits die hard. _

"I really don't", she said as she got back to her room where he was standing, "You see, I drink, I get drunk and I pass out. No problem."

The Joker grinned appreciatively while staring at his shoes, then raising his head to watch her. Gin flashed him a grin.

"Oo, nice one, you've got some potential. I'm eternally grateful to myself for not rubbing you out."

"Well that makes two of us", Gin answered.

Gin walked across her room to get to the bathroom, while the Joker was standing by the doorway. She had made it halfway there, when suddenly he jumped at her, pinned her against the wall, holding her there with his hands on her shoulders.

"_Reaally_? You're happy to be here, _with me_? I know, I know, a stupid question, but you females sure are hard to interpret", he said while he stroked his hands down to her waist. Which, combined with his sudden proximity, was more than enough to drive Gin to distraction.

"I, um, I'm, I really... I'm sorry, what was the question?" This made him soften a bit, he chuckled loudly and shook his head. Gin just blinked at him, still focusing most of her concentration on his hands on her waist. _What is it with the bad boy appeal? Whatever it is, he's got plenty._

"Oh, Vir_ginity_ you crack me up! But I'll just take that as a yes." He flashed her a smile, his makeup once again exaggerating his grin. That awful nickname he'd given her was enough to sober her up.

"Honestly, _why_ do you keep calling me that?!", she snapped at him and he shot his eyes to hers. _Oo, the kitty really has claws. Nice._

"Well, funny thing you asked. You see, I like to name people after their... _characteristics._ I know this one guy, he's called Grumpy, you know, because he's _so_ serious. A bit like you actually."

"But that doesn't-"

"Shush darling, let me _finish_. So, naming people after their characteristics, right? _Obviously_ you're a virgin, so as long as that stands, I'll just call you Virginity. You get it now? It just logical."

_Twat._

"You're so despicable, you know that? And, just out of curiosity, how exactly do you know that I've never, um, done _it_?"

"Because when you refer to sex you say "doing it", and, well, it's just written all over you sweetie", he said, looking apologetic, "But don't ya worry, I kinda dig that."

"Ugh!" Gin tried to get away from him, but he held her to the wall with ease.

"But if you want me to, _help_ with that, I'm more than willing to oblige", he said wiggling his eyebrows and looking at her lips. She automatically licked them, making his mouth fall open slightly as he returned his eyes to hers.

"I'm afraid I'm not quite sure what you mean", Gin said with an uncertain voice, leaning back as far as the wall let her.

"Oh I think you do." He moved his hands to her hips, pressing his whole body to hers. He leaned his head to her ear, brushing his cheek against hers in the process. He moved his fingers to under the hem of her sweater, stroking the skin there and making her thoughts blur.

"I mean it, I've said it to you many times, I'd know how to make you _scream_", he emphasized his point with a thrust from his hips and Gin let out an involuntary gasp, "I'd love to do that, if you only let me. Come _on_, Virginia... _Everybody_ wants the, um, bad boy. Just... Let go." His voice was low and silky in her ear and she was breathing erratically with her eyes closed. Her hands were on top of his that were still holding her hips and making little circles on her skin.

All the while The Joker was getting lightheaded himself, which definitely hadn't been his intention. The way her chest was brushing with his with every shallow breath, her eyes closed and mouth hanging open... He wanted to take her right there, rough and fast against the wall. _No._ She deserved more, first time's supposed to be something more. _Patience man, patience. Okay, maybe just a bit._

"Babe, listen, back there, in the kitchen, you know, when I said I've been watching you? Well, I wasn't entirely joking." Gin opened her eyes, letting out a surprised gasp.

"What, you've-" Her sentence was interrupted as he crashed her lips on hers, holding still, waiting for her response. _Oh..._ Gin closed her eyes and opened her mouth a bit, tilting her head slightly to give him better access. It encouraged him, and he started to trace her lips with his tongue.

Gin moaned into his mouth, opening hers even more to let him slip his tongue in. _And here, we, go_, he thought as her responses became more and more passionate. When he moved his hands back to her waist, lifting her shirt with them, Gin squirmed in his hands, thanking god that he wasn't wearing his gloves. He broke the kiss and started to move down her neck, placing wet, open-mouthed kisses that left red smudges on her skin.

"Oh, shite mister J... Don't stop", Gin moaned, she was in a whole world entirely, thinking with her senses and not brains. The small strain in the Joker's pants became a bigger strain when he heard her drawn out plea. He stopped sucking on her neck and asked:

"What, what did you say?" His voice was hoarse and breathless. _Holy shit that's hot._

"Mmm, don't stop", she said, disappointed that he'd stopped.

"No, before that?"

"Hmm? Oh I can't remember, oh mister J, _why did you stop_?"

_Mister J? Holy shit, no one's ever called me that. Fuck, this is getting out of hand._

Suddenly she threw her leg behind him and pulled him to her, their hips crashing deliciously together. She threw her hands behind his neck and pulled him into a kiss. It was aggressive and fast, lips biting and sucking. _Damn, she likes it rough, doesn't she? Oh I wish I was that lucky... _She kept wiggling and he let out a muffled groan, breaking the kiss and taking a look at her face.

Her other cheek was white from his face paint, and there was _a lot_ of red color in her neck and around her mouth. She was breathing heavily, her mouth slightly open and her chest heaving, her shirt ridden up to above her navel. Her green eyes were hidden behind half-lid eyes. _Now that's what one would call "fuckable". _

"What's wrong?", Gin asked breathlessly, "Did I do something wrong?"

"No! No no no, you _most certainly _didn't. I just, um, don't want to do anything that you will regret."

She looked at him with curious eyes for a moment, playing with the hair on the back of his neck and driving him insane.

"That's really not something a _bad boy_ would say", she mused, now deep in thought, "So please, shut up, will you? I really can't think of anything that I would end up regretting at the moment... _Mistah J._" She whispered the last part in to his ear, feeling his grip on her tighten as he lifted her up to his shoulder.

She let out a surprised yelp as he started to carry her towards the bed.

"You asked for it, pet." He threw her on the bed on her back, took off his coat and followed, covering her with his body. Gin grabbed him from the front of his shirt, pulling him in for a kiss. The Joker moved his hand under her shirt until he made it to the edge of her bra. Playing around there he smirked into the kiss as Gin started to fumble with his shirt buttons.

"Impatient much?" He moved his mouth to her neck again, biting and stopping just until it would hurt. Gin was obviously appreciating his actions, arching her neck to get more contact and forgetting his buttons for a moment, instead moving her hand to his hair.

Oh he couldn't wait to feel her writhe under him, hell yeah, he'd show her what it was like to be with a man. He started to lift her shirt, watching her expression and as she didn't protest and lifted her hands he pulled her shirt off. The shirt was thrown to the floor as he again kissed her, slowly and deeply this time. He carefully danced his fingers up her side, reaching her bra and cupping her breast firmly.

Gin put her own hand on top of his, and at first he was sure she'd try to take his hand away, but instead she just tightened his grip, making him knead her harder. She let out a small moan, and he grinned. _Oh she's in for it now. _

He reached under her, and she immediately rose so that he could snap open the clasp of her bra. It came off swiftly and before Gin had time to react, the Joker had taken one of her breasts in his mouth while kneading the other. He sucked hard, hearing her awarding moan, before biting on her nipple, when she made a soft whimper, arching her back to him.

All the little noises she made, her heavy breathing and her squirming made his pants tighten considerably, it was starting to feel really painful actually. Still he could find the will to push it to the back of his mind, this was about the girl under him. _Just this first time, then you can start thinking of your own pleasure. _He moved down on her, placing kisses on her stomach and under her navel. He reached the waist of her jeans and glanced up. She was struggling up on her elbows, breathing heavily and biting her lower lip.

He was just about to ask but she wiggled her hips, signaling him to take her pants off. He flashed her a grin that made her knees weak before pulling her jeans and her knickers off. _Oh my god, I'm naked in front of the Joker, what the- _oh_, his hands... _He sensed her feelings, crawling up to her and drawing his hands up her sides. She fumbled with his buttons again, and he finally took his shirt off. He kissed her greedily and Gin let her fingertips feel his chest. He was solid and warm, and there were a few nasty-looking scars here and there. _Maybe I should ask him where-_

Her thoughts were stopped dead in their tracks as the Joker's hand made its way between her legs. He looked closely at her expression, her eyes closed, her mouth fell open in a silent scream and her whole body arched off the bed.

"Mmm, someone's excited", he purred. Her answer was something unintelligible and she grasped his wrist, keeping his hand in place. "Uuu, you like that, don't ya?" Again, his response was a squeeze on his wrist and a low moan.

_Fucking hell._ He had to admit that it had been a while since he'd been with someone, and even then it had been his regular working girl. She would get the job done, but it really wasn't nearly the same as having this consenting and eager freaking _virgin_ in the same bed. Okay, she was part of the underworld, she was tough in that way, put still she was innocent, never given herself up to some teenage asshole who couldn't make her come, would come premature as fuck and treated her like shit.

"...stah J!", she choked out. He kept teasing her, circling his lean finger all over her sensitive parts, touching everywhere except her clit, almost slipping into her, but he always withdrew, teasing her until she was practically hurting with need.

"Yeah? You, you want me to stop?"

"No... Don't... You... Mmh... Dare!"

"Then why are you making such noises, mm? Are you in pain?" He was whispering low and dirty in her ear, never stopping his teasing. She let out a strangled whimper, squeezing his wrist.

"You smug bastard, just get, ngh, on with it, _will you_?"

"Oh, I _love_ it when you tell me what to do! Fine, I'll indulge you. For a moment."

He moved his finger right to her clit, stroking it in firm but gentle movements. Gin's nails were making crescent-shaped marks on his wrists and he was thoroughly enjoying her moans, getting louder by the second. She was really getting into it, never minding that the sounds she was making would have made her hide away in shame in any other occasion. He slipped his finger into her, slowly, closing his eyes as he felt how tight and wet she was. Just the thought of feeling that on his-

Her hips rose off the bed accompanied by a very vocal moan, trading his pleasurable thought for another, and he kept teasing her clit with his thumb while probing deeper and deeper.

"_That'_s it babe, let me hear you, come on, lemme hear you scream", he coaxed, whispering low and dirty in her ear. Gin was having difficulties breathing, and every time she did, she let out a moan or gasp. The things he was doing with his hand... She didn't realize that her nails on his wrist had broken the skin, drawing out a bit of blood, and that he'd probably have the marks for weeks. She had more important matters to focus on, the pull in her groin was starting to increase, _oh god, I'm going to-_

"J, don't stop, _ah_, I think I'm, I'm, _so close_-" Her voice turned into a stifled scream as she came on his hand, convulsing on the bed while he observed her, getting more and more turned on by the sight of her.

He let her take her time, his grinning face buried in the crook of her neck as he waited for her to relax. He finally removed his hand from between her legs and lifted her head on his chest, and she slipped her arm around his waist, still completely zoned out and breathless. Gin caught a glimpse of his smug grin and giggled to herself.

"What? Giggling, that's a new one", he was a bit confused, nothing wrong with giggling but why was she doing it then and there?

"You self-satisfied git."

"Hmm? I thought _you_ were the satisfied one here."

The Joker was drawing patterns on her back with his hand and Gin put her leg between his so they lay entangled together.

"Mmm, maybe it _was_ more than I expected. But, um, less than I want." She looked up to him with a mischievous grin, and he let out a small groan, his hard-on once again reminding of its existence.

_Time to pop some cherries._


	9. Quality Literature

_A/N: I don't like school at the moment. Too time-consuming, I have more important things that need my attention. Like this story. :D Yeah, haven't mentioned it before, but besides references to the movie, there are probably countless expressions and sayings borrowed unconsciously from books and other fanfics. I mean absolutely no harm, it just comes automatically, when I see a nice line somewhere I just start to use it. Um, intertextuality is the sincerest form of flattery? More story alerts and even favorites since chapter 8, I must be doing something right? Anyway, thank you, I check my emails so often nowadays it's ridiculous. As always, our leading male is the product of someone else's imagination, not mine. Now, were we in the middle of something?  
_

Gin let out a surprised yelp as the Joker flipped them around so that he was on top and she was under him, feeling the bulge in his loose slacks. She let out an involuntary giggle in spite of herself and glanced downwards. The twit was still wearing his pants?

"What's so funny? I assure you, once I take my pants off there will be nothing, _nothing_, to laugh about", he said playfully in a threatening tone. Gin smiled and looked back into his face, his make-up was really starting to wear off. She finally gave into the temptation and lightly traced the scar on his left cheek with her fingertips.

She'd been slightly afraid that he wouldn't like that, but he didn't do anything, he just kept staring at her eyes. _What is he thinking? _He was thinking a million things and nothing at all. No one had ever tried to touch his cheeks after the stitches had been removed, and he didn't blame them. Although his sense of touch was much weaker on the scars, he could still feel her light touch on his cheek. He swallowed loudly and licked his lips, squeezing his eyes shut.

"What, uh, what are you doing?"

"Chicks dig scars, don't you know that?" Gin tried to lighten the mood a bit, the scars seemed to be a weak spot and she was impressed that he'd let her touch them.

"_Oh really? _Think I might, _get some _tonight?"

"Hmm, it depends. See, I'm under the impression that, in order to, _get some_, one needs to take their pants off first", she said cheekily.

"Hmm? I might need some help with that..."

"What? Oh, please..."

Gin pushed on his chest so that he rolled on his back, and he crossed his arms behind his head, smirking smugly. She gave him an incredulous look and shook her head before starting to open his belt. _Just breathe, thousands, no, millions of people do this every day._ Gin felt some butterflies in her stomach, but at the same time she was extremely excited. What she was doing was so wrong, and she was loving every second of it.

She got his pants open, and pulled them down so he could kick them off. He was lying in front of her in his underwear, and Gin just stared at his boxers that resembled a tent, her mouth hanging open on its own.

"Ahem, I know that you're, _impressed_, and all, but I'm getting a little self-conscious here?", he said, even though her inexperienced curiosity fascinated him to no end. She snapped out of her reverie and was just about to say something, when he jumped at her, pushing her to her back, making her exclaim in surprise.

"Shit! I thought you were going to throw me on the floor!", Gin's heart was racing, she was breathing in fast and shallow breaths.

"Hmm, the only reason to throw _you_ out of bed would be to fuck you on the said floor."

She smiled shyly at his words and decided to grab the bull by the horns, and grasped him through his underwear. He wasn't expecting that and let out a stifled groan, giving her a surprised look. Gin was feeling positively triumphant, proud that she could get a reaction like that from him.

"'_Uuu, you like that, don't ya?_'", she repeated his earlier words, tables now turned. He appreciated her retort, grinning but letting his head drop as she kept stroking him, getting bolder by the second.

"Can't... Argue... With... That." His breathing was pretty laboured, and he had to take her hand off, reluctantly taking both her wrists and pinning them down on either side of her head. "You know, if I didn't know better, I'd say you've done this before."

"Well, um, I... read a lot?" After all the books, movies and conversations with her friends she knew how everything worked in theory, but had never tried anything in practice.

"Some quality literature _that_ must be", he said as he reluctantly moved a bit away from her to take away his underwear, and returned to his position between her legs. "Now. Where were we?"

Gin didn't hear his words, she was too busy staring at the shaft between his legs. He noticed it and grinned.

"What, haven't you seen a-"

"I have! I have, but never, um, _live _before. I have to say, there's no way that will _ever _-"

"Oh, _it'll fit in._ The _real_ problem is whether you'll want me to take it out at the end."

"Oh?" _Gods, he's cocky. In more than one sense- _

Her thoughts were interrupted by the pleasurable feeling of him nipping and sucking on her neck, while his hands were wondering all over her, starting her up again. She enjoyed every caress, the hands that had done unimaginable things, horrible things, now purposefully following the curve of her waist going south. He slipped his hand between her legs again, making an appreciative moan as he discovered she was still soaking wet. _Oh, oh the way she's squirming and bucking her hips, she's so up for it_, the Joker thought and moved on top of her, giving her a greedy kiss. She automatically threw her legs behind his back, and he hissed as his erection was now in direct contact with her wetness.

"Oh _please_, come on, Mister J..." _There's that fucking nickname again, and she's _begging _me to take her... Shit, there's only that much a man can take!_

"One last question babe, you want it slow, or like a band-aid?", his voice was hoarse, and he was drawing deep breaths, he was so damn close of actually... She put her arms on his shoulder blades, impatient as hell.

"Um, yeah, like a band-aid, like a band-aid, just _do_ it?"

"Fine, you ready? Here, we, go."

With one powerful thrust, he was inside her. He let out a loud groan of pleasure and Gin whimpered in pain, sinking her nails deep in his back. He started to pull out in order to ease her pain, but she stopped him.

"Don't. You. Dare!" She was gritting her teeth, waiting for the pain to subside. She felt so full, he filled her completely, touching places she never knew existed. He tried to keep still, he wanted _so_ badly to just pound away, he knew he wouldn't last long this time.

"Okay, babe, just. Just, let me know, 'kay?"

They both had their eyes closed, Gin was trying to get used to the intrusion while the Joker was in total bliss, waiting for her to say something. Then she squirmed a little and tested her inner muscles that were currently wrapped around his solid member, wondering if it would hurt. He wasn't expecting that, letting out a deep moan, then looking at her.

"You fucking minx, you did that on purpose!"

"Mmm, maybe", she gave him a sly grin, starting to feel nothing but pure pleasure between her legs. He got the hint and slowly withdraw, only to thrust back at the same excruciatingly slow pace. _God, she feels _good_._

He kept the slow pace, enjoying it immensely but still wanting to go faster. Much faster, but he decided to get back at her for that little stunt she'd just pulled on him. She liked what he was doing, but after a while she felt she needed more, needed faster and harder. She tried to tell him, but just as she opened her mouth, he gave a thrust that hit just the right spot, and she ended up mumbling some unintelligible syllables.

"Oh, excuse me, did you say something?", he said teasingly, but his own breathing was getting heavier and heavier.

"Nnnarder!"

"What? You, you want me to stop?"

"No.... Harder, goddammit!"

"Hmm, now we're talking." _Thank god-_

He finally started going faster, her moans and his grunts blending as she started to buck her hips with his every thrust. _Shit. _He realized he wasn't going to last much longer.

"Gin, babe, come on, give it to me baby, come on...", he spoke in a low and broken voice, and she was in fact feeling that she was going to come, higher, harder than before-

She could feel the waves of pure bliss begin from the little spot he kept hitting just the right way, she was so close, she threw her head back and raked her nails up his back, leaving angry red lines, and _there_, her eyes rolled back in her head as she came, convulsing on the bed, letting out a low whimper.

"Oh, _good girl_, that's it, just a little more-"

He could feel her inner muscles contracting around him and it was more than he could take. He gave the last few pushes and came with a deep moan, unconsciously biting on her neck.

They lay for a moment, catching their breaths. He realized that he was probably crushing her under his dead weight, so he rolled to the side. They both stared at the ceiling, listening to their heartbeats and slowing breathing. Suddenly Gin burst out in laughter. The Joker gave her a strange look that she didn't notice because her eyes were closed.

"Um, can I ask what _amuses_ you so?"

"Ahhah, nothing really", she still giggled in small outbursts, trying to keep them in but failing spectacularly.

"I don't think so. Let's hear it." He propped himself up on his elbow and stared at her intently. She was grinning like no tomorrow. After a moment she sighed deeply and gave up.

"Well. You remember what you said earlier? You know, about if it would, _fit_?"

"Oh yeah. So?"

"Well it _did _suck when you took it out." She closed her eyes and grinned again, feeling silly for saying such thing. He grinned smugly in response, licking his lips in passing.

"I'm a man of my word."

Gin smiled and let out a content yawn, stretching her arms above her head. It suddenly hit her that she was still naked, and she tried to get the blanket to cover herself. However, it was stuck under the Joker, so she tried to yank it but he didn't make a move, he just kept staring at her with a smirk on his face.

"Would you mind? You might be comfortable being naked, you know, with your apparent, misplaced idea of being a sex god, but-"

"Oh, Virginia! You think I'm a sex god?", he sat up, holding his hands to his heart.

"Well, yeah- No! I mean, no! Shit!" She gave up and just grabbed his coat from the floor, threw it on and stomped to the bathroom. The coat was too big for her, the sleeves were too long and it almost went down to her ankles.

"Damn, that suits you!"

"It does not!" With that she slammed the bathroom door and left him giggling on the bed.

Gin looked at herself in the bathroom mirror and noticed teeth marks on her neck.

"You bit me! You actually _bit _me, you idiot!" She could hear his answer through the door.

"Idiot? What happened to 'Mister J'?" The Joker was still lying on the bed, examining the deep marks she'd left on his wrist. "And look who's talking, catwoman."

"Catwoman?! What the hell are you talking about?" Gin returned to her room, still wearing only his long, purple coat. It smelt like gasoline, smoke and, well, him.

"Well check out _these_ scratch marks, kitten." He lifted his wrist so she could see the four crescent-shaped marks.

"Oh my god! I did that?", she rushed to sit next to him on the bed and took his arm to look closer, "I'm so sor-"

"Naah, don't. You can tell it was a good lay if you can still feel it after a week", he grinned and Gin smiled in embarrassment, "And besides, I knew you'd like it _rough_."

Her mouth fell open, and he winked at her before walking butt-naked into the bathroom. As she stared after him, she could see the red lines in his back. She buried her face in her hands and sighed. _Oh, crap._

_A/N: Yeah, Gin's gonna get pregnant, right? Hope not. Let's say she's been on the pill since she was 16, to regulate her cycle? ^~  
_


	10. Foreshadowing

_A/N: A bit of a filler chapter this one. But only because I'm drowning in school work and I have some massive plans for the next chapter. You haven't heard this one before, but it's always nice, wonderful and positively ecstatic to see that someone has liked the story and added it to their favorites. Kiitos. ^^ And reviews are even nicer. *wink* Yeah, no money is made with this, I only own the OC and the plot, yadda yadda.  
_

While the Joker was taking a shower and feeling the hot water stinging in his back, Gin wandered to the living room. She was still wearing his coat, and she unconsciously put her hands in the pockets. What she found was a knife in each pocket, one was a stiletto and the other one resembled a... potato peeler?

She raised her eyebrows and studied the peeler-looking blade and discovered some brown goo on it. _Not hard to guess what that is. _Gin let out a whispered "yeew"and was just about to put it back into the pocket when someone slipped their arm around her waist and lifted her hand with the knife back up, making her breath catch in her throat.

"Do you wanna know, why I use a knife?" His voice was right next to her ear, and it both calmed and thrilled Gin to realize that it was him. She looked at his hand over hers and then moved her eyes to the knife.

"Because... knives... don't need reloading?"

Gin couldn't see it, but his eyes lit up at her answer. It wasn't the answer he was looking for, but it was an excellent answer nonetheless.

"Mmm, I like the way you think... _Bonnie_."

Suddenly a thought popped into her head. _Did he already put his make-up on? _She wondered if she could turn around and see him completely without his war paint. She tried to rotate, but he kept his arm on her waist and she couldn't turn around. He knew what she was thinking and chuckled silently, nudging his cheek on her neck and she bent her head back to look at him. _Damn._ He was wearing his usual attire and had already put on his make-up, slightly lighter on his right cheek after rubbing it on her neck. She frowned and sighed disappointedly, moving her head back down to look out the window.

"Do you always wear that make-up? Maybe you should, you know, let your pores breathe every once in a while."

He looked at the back of her head appreciatively, grinning and licking his lower lip.

"Why, I don't think I'm ready to take our, um, _relationship_, that far. Who knows, you might ditch me if I did that. I _know_ that we are now eternally bonded, but oh, I'd feel so vulnerable", he said in a mocking tone and let go of her, gesturing at his coat, "And, by the way, I need my coat."

"Okay, give me a-" Gin tried to go to her room to change, but he stepped in front of her, blocking her way, "What?"

"No time to change, I need it _now_." He snapped his fingers at her a few times, trying to look as impatient as possible, but unable to stifle the smirk on his face.

"You're not serious", she tried to reason him, but he didn't react, "I'm not wearing anything under this!"

"No, you don't say?", he leaned his face closer to her, a malicious smirk on his face.

A miracle that Gin was praying for happened as a sudden noise came from the hall and he reflexively turned around to look, so she made a run for it. She ran through the kitchen, but before she could make it to her room, the Joker had caught up with her and grabbed one of the tails of the coat. Gin made a complicated maneuver, never stopping running, and spun herself out of the coat and into her room, closing the door and leaving him standing dumbfounded in the hall with the coat in his hand.

Gin laughed hard, leaning on the closed door in the safety of her room. She heard a knock on the door.

"Yes?" She listened for a while, but there was a moment of silence and she couldn't hear anything.

"... Nice one", he admitted his defeat in a bland tone through the door. He threw on the coat and checked his pockets._ Oh, it's still warm._

"Why thank you, dear sire", she said in an exaggerated English accent.

"Sure, I gotta go now, be ready at seven."

"What? What happens at seven?" She turned to face him, even though the door was still between them. But he was already at the front door.

Gin heard the front door close and peeked out to make sure he'd really left. _Well that was weird._

She went to bathroom, looked in the mirror in passing and saw that the teeth marks were still on her neck. They had only become more visible. _Sigh. Maybe I can use some concealer... _

Shaking her head, she went to the shower and turned on the tap. _Gods, I actually had sex with the Joker. But it really was someth- oh, shut up._

While in the shower, Gin wondered what he did all day. She knew that he liked to blow shit up, to shock people. But he did that to send a message. She didn't exactly know what that message was, but she knew that he didn't do it for money, to him money was a tool, not the reason. Or so she thought at least. She hadn't had any deep, thoughtful conversations with him, she didn't really have any insight into his mind. Did she even want to or need to understand his view of the world? It wasn't like they were dating... Indeed, what exactly was "it"? She'd gone from being afraid of the Joker to shagging him. _What does the dating guide for outlaws have to say in this situation?_

And then there was his apparent fascination with Batman. What was up with that? She'd seen his video "greetings" on TV, always addressing Batman and demanding him to do this or to do that. Sure enough he never did what the Joker ordered. _Gives him an excuse to blow something up I guess_. She herself had never given much thought to the masked vigilante, sometimes she'd heard Gambol complain how the man in black rubber had busted his men, but that was it. He'd never crossed roads with her and she didn't want him to.

Finally Gin decided to just go with the flow as she'd always done, maybe at seven he was going to take her mini golfing. She laughed hard at the thought, he wasn't exactly a seventeen-year-old and she wasn't your typical girl next door either. _Mini golfing or not, I'm sure it'll be interesting._


	11. The Plan

_A/N: Sorry, I've been a lazy arse and I had a pre-Christmas party due to which I couldn't function for a few days, so it took some time to write this. You deserve better than two weeks of waiting. But, this chapter's longer than any of the previous ones, there's a major plot twist coming up. ^~ Infinite thanks for your reviews, awesome to hear that people like the creation of my wandering mind. Keep 'em coming? The next chapter will probably appear quite quickly, I had to move quite a bit from this one to the next so this wouldn't be awfully longer than the other chapters. Am I making any sense? Ugh, it's almost three a.m., just, what I'm trying to say, here's chapter 11, I'm sorry for the delay, love you all, enjoy. (L)  
_

The day crawled by. Gin checked the time every five minutes, and when she wasn't looking at the clock, she was pacing briskly around the apartment. _What's gonna happen at seven, what's gonna happen at seven... _She didn't know what to think of the situation. Who knew, maybe it would be just another trip to the grocery store. Another theory that she had developed in her head was that she would have to wait in the car while the Joker would do... well, whatever it was that he did. _Or maybe..._

Then there was the third theory, and she regretted deeply that she had ever come up with it. That maybe, maybe he had gotten what he wanted from her._ No, no, no. _She shook her head, trying to perish the thought, but it kept ringing in her head. He'd gotten what he wanted from her, he'd just kept playing with her until now, and now he'd had his fun, gotten bored of her and he was going to get rid of-

"Shut up!", she shouted in the empty apartment, the spacious living room echoing her scream. She covered her face with her hands and took a deep breath. _That's not true, you're just imagining shit. God, this can't be healthy._

"But I-um, haven't said anything yet", a voice said and Gin spun around to find _him_ standing behind the sofa, looking baffled and holding his arms up in surrender.

"Fucking hell, how did you get in here?!" She was so stressed and surprised that she didn't really put too much thought into what came from her mouth. Her breathing was rapid and she felt like she was going to faint any moment. Which was probably because she hadn't eaten much, and _maybe_ she'd had a glass of Jack and Coke to relax. Maybe two.

"Well _someone_'s a nervous wreck I see", he commented nonchalantly, rolling his eyes and turning to walk away, "And I got in with the key. I thought you had, um, a bit more in your head than _hair._" He examined the empty glass on the kitchen table and smelled it. Realizing she had been drinking, he smirked and decided to have a laugh at her. Once again.

Meanwhile Gin was starting to calm down, processing what he'd just said and recovering from the surprise. She checked the clock and noticed it was already ten to seven.

"Yeah, so, um, are we going somewhere?", she asked and started walking towards her room to get her bag. She still could see only his back. _What is he doing? _She waited a few seconds for an answer and when she didn't get one, she kept walking out of the living room.

She didn't bother to turn on the lights in her room, she already knew where she'd left her bag. And besides, the light from the hall did light a little. Except when the door was shut and everything went completely black.

"Fuck!", Gin got distracted and hit her toe on the nightstand. She sat on the bed and rubbed her throbbing toe, it wasn't the least bit unclear who had shut the door. "You twat, I broke my toe because of you!"

"Noo, you hit your toe bee-cause you're, _once again_, intoxicated", his drawl came from the door.

She turned her head towards the voice, but she still saw only black. "What am I going to do with you? I'll have to send you to rehab, won't I?" With every word his voice changed place, coming closer.

"I'm not drunk, honestly. And come on, I'm really not in the mood for- Aaagh!" She was tackled hard and pushed to the middle of the bed. "Goddammit, did you _have_ to do that?!" She wasn't as surprised as she should have been, _maybe I'm getting used to this. Ugh. _

There was a moment of silence and neither of them moved. They just lay there, and Gin could feel the puffs of his breathing on the bare area of her chest that wasn't covered by her top. He was acting oddly, even more so than usually, and their position was starting to make Gin feel things that she really didn't need at that moment.

She had just opened her mouth to say something, when he finally spoke,

"But you are. You really are. Drunk, I mean. You're intoxicated by my very presence."

"Bwahhahhahhah!" Gin burst out laughing so hard that he was being lifted by her abdominal muscles, jumping up and down on top of her.

"_Oh my god_, you're just like that queer vampire from the books!", her laughter quieted down a bit, and she had to wipe tears from her eyes, bumping her hand on his shoulder while lifting it to her face.

"The fact that you knew where that line was from, means that you've read them", he sounded cheeky.

"Yes, I have. I wanted to check what all the fuzz was about", she yawned, feeling languid after laughing so hard, and stretched her arms above her head on the bed. Not a good decision.

The Joker seized the opportunity and took a firm grip on both of her sides, running his hands from her hips to the sides of her breasts and back down to her waist. He buried his face in the crook of her neck and took a deep breath, making Gin squirm a bit. She swallowed loudly, still not seeing anything but most certainly _feeling_ all kinds of things.

"So. Did you, like, the books?", he asked, his voice right next to her ear, low, and she could _hear_ the smirk in his voice. Gin cleared her throat.

"Well, um, I liked the whole falling in love with a vampire-thing, but", she took a deep breath mid-sentence when he brushed an open mouth on her neck, "like, especially in the second book, I think she was a bit, I don't know, she just really got on my nervesss..."

Her voice trailed off as he was really getting into it, snaking his hand up her shirt and placing wet kisses on her neck. Her mind was getting cloudy, deliciously cloudy, but she really felt the need to stop it, she refused to be reduced into some puddle of syrup every time he wanted so.

"I-um, shouldn't we... be... going somewhere?"

He didn't stop, but made an agreeing "mm-hm", pressing his body harder against hers. _Shiiiit_, it was really the classic dilemma, her head was ordering her to sober up, to control her hormones or whatever it was that was making her squirm against him, while her senses were telling the exact opposite. Just as she was about to tell her head to sod off, he stopped.

"Yeah, you're right, we should get going", he glid down her body, landing on the floor and coolly walked to the door, closing it after himself and leaving her in the dark room. _Fucking hell. _She regrouped herself, straightened her clothes and grabbed her purse from the floor before heading to the hall.

Gin found him there, he was digging through his pockets.

"Where are we going?" He didn't react to her question, just kept searching his pockets. _Fine. _By then she had pretty thoroughly internalized that he wasn't going to tell her anything. She was putting on her shoes that she had carefully matched with her clothes when she'd tried to pass time earlier, when he interrupted her.

"I _probably_ wouldn't wear those shoes if I were you", he pointed quickly at her heels before returning his attention to the pockets.

"What, why?"

He didn't say anything, just kept fondling with his pockets. Gin gave him a strange look but decided to believe him. _Whatever._

She got her shoes on, stood up and started to get her coat on when the Joker cleared his throat impatiently, standing by the door with his arms crossed. Gin took a second glance at him with an incredulous look on her face.

"Oh, _shut up_. You, you appear from out of nowhere, and tell _me_ nothing. Who do you think you are? I don't have to go anywhere with you", it came out sounding more defiant than she had meant, and she instantly hoped she had expressed herself a bit more maturely, "And besides, you didn't seem to be in a hurry a few moments ago."

She didn't look at him, just kept buttoning her jacket.

The Joker stared at her, wondering whether he should tell her about _the plan. _Probably not, he thought, she would probably get upset and possibly fuck everything up. Or who knew, maybe she would be all over it, acting her part to perfection. _Not very likely. _It would be more plausible if her actions were real. But the risk of her getting hurt or killed was bigger if she wasn't expecting it. _Fuck, stick to the plan, stick to the fucking plan._

"Honestly, what the hell is going on?", her voice brought him out his reverie, finally making him blink and move his eyes from her head. He decided to take a new approach.

"Oh, I'm just, _dying_, to tell you that, but it would ruin the surprise", he tried to sound cheery, like he wasn't going to put her at massive risk.

"Surprise? I'm not sure I like surprises" _especially from you_, she added in her mind.

"Well you can decide that later. I sure as hell _love_ it", he said, feeling a bit torn because he was about to take advantage of her in order to achieve his goal, "Let's roll."

He stormed to the hallway while Gin started dragging her feet to follow him. He was a few feet ahead of her when he noticed her anemic walking, and stopped to look at her with a pout.

"Oh, Virginity- no, shit, I can't call you that anymore." He made a sad face, and managed to make Gin smile, she tried to stifle her grin but couldn't help it.

"You sir are an idiot." She walked past him to the elevator and pressed the button.

"Hmm, I really think you should watch the way you talk to me. I've slayed for lesser insults", he walked behind her and put a hand on the right side of her neck, while whispering in the left: "_What makes you think you're safe?_"

"Nothing."

Her answer was concise, she didn't have time to think about it when it had already come out. The Joker was slightly surprised, just slightly, and took his arm from her neck. They remained standing for a moment, both watching the lights that indicated the lift coming up. When the doors opened Gin stepped inside as he followed, desperately wanting to say something but not knowing what. The lift started moving, and the annoying music that sounds (and probably is) the same in every elevator started playing. For once Gin was grateful of it, the silence would have been awful.

_What an odd day. _She had noticed he wasn't his usual self, whatever that was. He'd been silent, almost avoiding, apart from their, _moment_, in the dark. _Yep, he's going to get me executed. _He was obviously preoccupied, and he didn't want to tell her where they were going. And now he'd basically told her that she wasn't anything special in his books. Gin's imagination was running away, while the man in purple next to her was pondering issues not so different from hers.

_She thinks I could hurt her?_ He had no idea what he'd been expecting, but her answer hadn't been it. On the other hand, he was impressed. It was smart from her to not just accept the situation without reservations, but was she actually afraid or something? Had she slept with him out of fear? _Fuck no. If she was afraid of me, she wouldn't make those clever remarks and get back at me. But she's right, what reason does she have to trust me? Shit, I'm just about to throw her to the lions-_

The elevator doors opened as they reached the underground parking hall. Gin smiled as she recognized Larry standing beside the black car, staring at the ceiling.

"Larry!" Gin greeted him happily, and Larry responded with a small, hesitant nod of his head. She wasn't sure whether he knew something she didn't, Larry always seemed like he was scared shitless just to be alive. They walked to the car and Larry opened the door for them, Gin gave him a big smile and glid to the other side of the backseat. The Joker got in, ignoring Larry and taking his usual limp posture on the seat while Larry made his way to the driver's seat.

"Why the hell do you treat him like that?", Gin asked, whispering angrily. The Joker turned his head to her, registering what she'd just said. _Yeah, definitely not afraid._

"Because he works _for_ me. I tell him to do something, he does it, hmm? There's no need to give him any extra credit, I already pay him four times the money he'd get working in a fucking cubicle", he didn't whisper like Gin had, so Larry took a glance at them through the rear-view mirror, "Right Larry?"

"Sure thing, boss."

"See?"

"How convincing", Gin didn't support his point of view but decided to let it slide, moving her gaze to the window. Larry sped away towards the industrial district, and panic started to creep into Gin's mind again.

She squirmed in her seat for a moment, staring out the window as they drove deeper into the empty streets snaking between the huge, mostly empty, warehouses. She couldn't take it anymore.

"Aagh, where the _hell_ are we going?! If you won't tell me, I swear I'm going to jump out from a moving car!"

The Joker calmly turned to look at her, his face expressionless apart from the little frown on his lips.

"Calm. The fuck. Down. We're going to a meeting."

"What meeting? Where? With-"

"I said _calm. The fuck. Down_." His tone of voice made Gin stop talking and freeze in her seat. He closed his eyes and took a calming breath, her nervousness was making him nervous. _I fucking knew I shouldn't get attached, should have gotten rid of her. Or maybe not, this wouldn't work without her. I'm already getting two birds with one stone, so she might be bird number tree, so what? Serves me right if she gets killed._

"Sorry. I just. Fuck, listen, it's a delicate situation, and I can't have you going crazy on me, I need to fucking focus, alright?" He didn't look at her, just kept staring out the window. Gin listened, wondering what he meant. _Then why did he bring me with him? I can't-_

Larry braked when they had reached their destination, an empty storage building. _Sigh. _Gin was starting to feel that she'd spent half her life in bloody warehouses. All three got out of the car, and as Gin was going around the car she saw the Joker changing a few quiet words with Larry, who nodded and headed behind the warehouse after giving Gin a quick glance. She swallowed, looking at Larry before turning her gaze to the Joker, who was lighting a... cigarette? _What the __fuck?_

"I thought you didn't smoke?"

"Just started. We should get inside, let's go", all the while he said that he didn't give her a single glance, always looking at his feet or the sky. It did little to calm her down.

Before she had time to respond, he started walking inside, ignoring her as she tried to keep up with his steps. They got inside, and he'd obviously been there before as he determinedly walked in the dark hall to turn on the light. It really was just one light, barely lighting the center of the big hall. Gin stood by the entrance, waiting for him to say something, but he just kept smoking without looking at her. Oblivious to the internal struggle he was having, she asked:

"So... What's next?"

The Joker took a last breath from his cig before dropping it to the ground and stomping it.

"Yeah. Just, go wait for me to the center, you know, where the light is. I have to go deal with this thing, just, wait there, okay?" He still didn't look at her.

"Okay... Why can't you look at me? Is... something wrong?" With that he finally lifted his gaze to look at her, his face again expressionless. He closed the distance between them with a few long steps.

"No. Everything's just according _the plan_. See ya later, kid" _or not_, he added in his head. He took her hand and lifted it, weighing it for a second before letting go and walking out the building without a second glance.

After he got out, he walked to the other side of the building where Larry was waiting with a bunch of other men. The Joker signaled Larry who gave him a cell phone. He took a deep sigh before speed dialing the number of the man he was doing business with. _The show must go on._

Gin was so confused she felt like screaming. _Sod this. _After a few seconds of staring after him, she stomped to the center of the hall to stand under the light before sitting down and folding her legs under herself. _This sucks. _There was no floor in the building, and she started drawing little patterns on the sand. After she'd pretty much surrounded herself with scribbles, she glanced up. Someone was moving near the entrance. No, _someones_.

"Hello?", she asked, standing up and trying to squint her eyes in order to see better in the dark. _Yep, there are definitely at least three people in there. Fuuuck. _She tried to keep herself calm, maybe the Joker had already come back, with backup, or something. Gin cleared her throat.

"Helloo? Who's there?"

"Well well, look who's here. You come here often, Miss Patrick?"

_Oh fuck. _Gin recognized the voice and started to slowly walk away from its source. Still the voice was coming closer.

"Um, no...?"

"You don't? In that case, it must be my lucky day, you know, to catch you without your psychopathic guardian angel and all."

Just as Salvatore Maroni's face was lit up by the dim light, Gin felt her back hit the wall. She made a little squeak in the back of her throat and wondered how the fuck she had ended up in this situation. Maroni stopped a few feet away from her, his hands in his pockets and a malicious smirk on his face.

"Slit any Italian throats lately, Red? Because I brought some guests and, can you believe it, they're _all the way_ from Italy, and just _dying_ to meet you. I believe they knew your daddy", he continued, staring at Gin's eyes and thoroughly enjoying her silent panic. She was holding back tears, realizing that the Joker had set her up. Probably sold her to the Italian mob. _Fuck, I'm not going down without a fight. _

"Fuck you Maroni, my father was ten times the man you are. He build his own empire, you just got everything on a fucking silver plate, you miserable sod!", she took a moment to study his expression, yeah, he was getting beyond furious, so Gin decided to give the final blow "You think you're something, I bet your cock is the size of a crayon."

Maroni stood still for a second, squeezing his hands in fists, before attacking her. Gin didn't really try to dodge, she just wanted to get it over with. Maroni pressed her against the wall, holding her throat, not enough to choke her but enough to make it hard to breathe.

"Who_ the fuck _do you think you are, you little bitch? Always trying to be _so_ smart. Do you have any idea who you're messing with, do you?!", Maroni shouted and she just played it cool, not moving and trying to keep breathing normally.

"Oh, what's the matter? Got scared? Oh come on Red, where's the spirit? I'll be glad to finish you, but it'll be more fun if you fight a little. Come on, let's have some _fun_."

Maroni was just tightening his grip on Gin's throat, when a raspy voice came from the darkness next to Maroni's head.

"I'll show you fun."

Both Maroni and Gin got startled by the voice, and the next moment Gin saw a black rubber glove punch Maroni in the face.

_A/N: My apologies if anyone got offended by the book reference_, _I_ _just finished reading the first book for the second time and couldn't help myself. It's all fun and games until the Twilight fans get upset. :DD Really, don't take it personally._


	12. Bad Company

_A/N: __"The next chapter will probably appear quite quickly" My ass. I actually had this done quite fast, but then I came up with a better way to continue the story and deleted almost everything before rewriting it. Yikes, hopefully it was worth it. I think so, this makes so much more sense than the first version. This was again an "idle" chapter, but had to be done so that the future chapters will make sense. Idle because I'm not too fond of Mr. Wayne, he's boring. Heh. Lots of mistletoes and chocolate to everyone who either has or will leave a review. ^^ AND, I've got some seriously wicked lines for the next chapter, just wait. :D Happy Holidays everyone! ^^/  
_

The Batman.

As Gin got released from Maroni's grasp, she caught a glimpse of the black cape and suit of the man who was now dragging the unconscious Italian towards the entrance of the hall, where there was a bunch of other crooks, lying in a pile. How had he knocked them all out so quietly? She held her slightly aching throat, adrenaline still rushing as her legs gave way and she slumped onto the ground.

After throwing Maroni on top of the pile of unconscious men, Batman turned around to look at Gin. She stared back, paralyzed.

"Are you OK?", he asked as he started to walk towards her.

"Um, yeah, I guess I am", out of reflex she crawled back a little, until her back hit the wall again.

Batman reached Gin and stopped to stand right in front of her, staring down before reaching out his hand to help her up.

"I'm not going to hurt you", he said and Gin hesitated for a second before grabbing his hand. He yanked her up, quickly scanning her to check that she was unharmed. She was still a bit shocked, and of course the usual verbal diarrhea hit her.

"How did you take out all those men so quietly?"

"Gas", Batman started to lead her towards the exit, "Let's get out of here, the police will arrive soon."

Gin was confused. This was _the_ bloody Batman. The man who was against everything that she was accustomed to. _Does he know who I am? _She figured it was better not to ask, so she silently followed him outside, where Maroni's cars were parked. Then she remembered. That Joker wanker had sold her out to Maroni!

"That bastard", Gin whispered under her breath to herself. Batman heard her and glanced back.

"Who?"

_Oops. Should I let him know who I've been spending my time with? He would probably make him pay..._

"That Italian tosser who tried to strangle me", she hadn't thought the matter through, but decided to keep her knowledge of the underworld hidden at the time, "How did you know to come here?"

"Police radio. Someone gave an anonymous tip."

_Huh? _Gin didn't have time to figure out who could have called the cops when they reached Batman's, um, _car_. In her opinion it was even bigger, blacker and definitely more ridiculous than the cars she was used to seeing. She snorted and stopped to stand by it, earning an uncharacteristic look from the caped crusader. She bit her lip to keep herself from smiling.

"What on earth is this thing?"

"A vehicle serving a purpose."

"Okay... I assume it serves its purpose well then."

No answer. _Men_. Then the roof of the thing started moving, revealing two seats, the steering wheel and a whole lot of buttons and switches. Batman got in, flicking switches and pressing buttons with confidence. He then turned to look at Gin, who was just standing there and thinking that the thing could probably blast a hole on a concrete wall.

"Will you get in, Miss Patrick?"

"Shit!" It was an automatic reaction to him telling that he knew who she was.

"Something wrong? _Are_ you hurt?" _Damn he's fussy._

"No! No. I, just, wasn't expecting that you'd know who I am."

"I'll tell you about it if you just get in", replied the raspy voice.

"I'm not sure if I should."

"I already said that I'm not going to hurt you. You can't stay here, get in."

"Ugh, fine."

She climbed in a bit ungraciously and looked around the interior, afraid to touch anything. She let out a small yelp as the roof suddenly started lowering with a loud buzzing sound. Batman didn't even flinch, he just flicked some more switches and grabbed the wheel before hitting the gas and speeding off. Gin grabbed the sides of her seat and looked forward with a terrified expression.

"Gods, we're going pretty fast, huh?", she waited a moment for a response and after she didn't get one, she cut to the chase, "How and why do you know my name?" She finally got a reaction from him as he gave her a quick glance.

"Virginia Myra Patrick, age nineteen. Father Edward Patrick, the widely known founder of the now inactive English mafia in Italy, mother Anna Patrick. After parents' deaths moved to Gotham to live with the now dead mafia boss Gambol", he declared her life in a nutshell, not showing any sign of emotion, "You seem to have quite a fatal impact on the men in your life, if I may say so Miss Patrick."

_Bastard._

"I do indeed, so you may want to hold on to your cape, Mr. Batman, as you might be next." She thought she saw him smile a bit, but if he did, the smile was gone even faster than it had appeared. As if in response, he made a violent turn and Gin squeezed her seat even tighter.

"I just might be, especially if you consider your current guardian."

Gin had enough willpower to not look shocked, but her insides froze as she heard his words. She couldn't even curse, let alone think of something to defend herself with. She just stared at the road ahead, not minding the infernal speed anymore. _What is he going to do, surrender me to the __cops? And _he_ isn't even my guardian anymore, that worthless piece of- _

"We're here."

They stopped at some construction site, in front of a container. This_ is the lair of the fu-_ Her thoughts were interrupted as the doors of the container opened, revealing that it was empty. Batman drove inside, calmly waiting as the doors closed behind them. Just as it became completely dark, the floor suddenly started descending and Gin, once again surprised, let out a yelp.

"Where are we going? I thought we were going to the police station or something."

"This will be easier and safer _without_ the Gotham's finest."

"Um, and what is "this"?"

Once again no answer. She let out a sigh and turned to look outside as they had reached a brightly lit hall of some sort. It was pretty large with white walls, and in the middle there was a nerd's dream: a table with at least eight computer screens, looking like a command center. There were also more tables, filled with stuff that Gin didn't recognize, especially not from so far away.

The "car's" roof slid back again and Batman got off, heading to the computers. She also climbed off, following him but still keeping a distance. He sat down by the computers, typing away as the pictures and texts on the screens started flashing. Gin glanced at one of the screens in passing, and saw a picture where there was a girl looking just like her. As she looked more closely she realized it _was_ her.

"What the hell is that?" She pointed at the screen. It was a picture of her and Larry, walking in the parking lot of the supermarket, Larry's hands full of paper bags. She remembered the moment and was shocked that not only had someone been watching, but photographing them!

"Investigation", Batman answered quickly after checking the screen she'd been pointing at.

"Investigation? Have you been spying on me?!"

"No, I have not been spying on you, I have been trying to determine the whereabouts of a certain criminal. I have reasons to assume that the man who calls himself the Joker was sitting in the backseat of that vehicle." Gin snorted.

"Well, good luck with the, _investigation_." She started to walk away.

"Thank you Miss Patrick, I'm sure you'll be of much help."

She glanced behind before completely turning away from him. _Fucking hell, how much does he know? And what am I doing in here? _And_, how does he think I'm going to help him? I really do have the ability to get into some serious shit. Aagh, I still can't believe that tosser practically gift wrapped me for Maroni! _While her head was once again spinning, Gin walked around in small steps and examined the hall. It was big, it was white, and there was only one door out from it, apart from the platform that served as a lift. She was just examining the door as Batman stepped next to it, opening it and standing next to it expectantly. She didn't move, just stared inside the room.

"Virginia."

"Uh, yes?"

"I need you to stay here for a while." _What?!_

"Excuse me? Why?"

"Like I said, you'll be of much help, but later."

"And how exactly am I going to help?" _and why would I do that?_

He took a deep sigh and stared at the floor for a moment.

"He'll come for you, sooner or later. And when he does, I'll get him sent to Arkham where he belongs." His tone was beyond matter-of-fact, like it was obvious that she would help him.

"What, you're going to use me as a bloody bait?! And what makes you think he cares-"

"Sorry, but you're not in the position to be asking questions. Just stay here, you'll be fine."

She peeked inside the room, she could only see more white.

"I really don't think-"

He didn't stay there to hear her, but turned in his heels and jumped into the car on the platform that had already started ascending.

"Hey!" Gin shouted after him, but he didn't even glance her way.

"Oh thanks a lot, so much for the gentleman!" She doubted that he could hear her, but screamed anyway.

She turned around to have a look around the smaller room, and noticed that there were actually a bed, a fridge, a TV and another door. _What is this place? His bedroom? Some kind of private cell where he keeps his captives? Ugh. _She opened the door inside the smaller room and sure enough, it was a bathroom. _This. Is. Freaky. _There was apparently no way out of the hall, so Gin turned on the TV and sat on the bed, waiting for the latest man to provide her bed & breakfast to come let her out. _If my magic's still working he'll probably never let me out, because he'll be dead. _Her black humor managed to make her let out a huff, before burying her face in her hands. _And that Joker would come for me?_ _Like he would give a toss whether I'm dead or alive. Sigh._

The Joker was in his penthouse, feeling absolutely triumphant. The flying rodent had taken the bait, Maroni was in jail and his little ward was right in the bat's cave! He couldn't help giggling to himself, things couldn't have turned out better, even though they hadn't gone according to the original plan. The thing that was also beyond great, was that the police couldn't and probably wouldn't get involved, this was between him and dear old Batsy. And of course his little redhead, the poor thing who had born into a life of being a feisty little pawn in the games that the underworld leaders liked to play. My _little redhead? Shiiit, I've sunk so low that I really care if she lives or dies. Not good, not good at all. I got lucky this time that she pulled it off, but this, this is so gonna bite me in the ass some day. _He glared through the window, fixing his eyes on some random chick with red hair and thought hard, his next plan already starting to form in his head. _How do I get her back?_

_A/N: Mistah J, Arkham and the man in black rubber are not mine. Unfortunately. I did however wish the first one for Christmas, so I'm keeping mah fingers crossed!  
_


	13. Quality Literature II

_A/N: Woah, it's been a while. My apologies, I was taken on a surprise trip to Sweden after the holidays and I didn't have time to do anything I usually do. Damn Swedes_. _*keeps making excuses* Also, I tend to get excited very easily, and during my vacation I was introduced to True Blood and Assassin's Creed II, which both swept me away. I've got a story coming along on both, so any free time I have is taken. No worries, I'm definitely not going to leave this one unfinished._

Gin woke up after a night of extremely restless sleep. She'd slept with her clothes on and as she straightened herself, she could feel how the buckle of her belt had pressed into her stomach. _Ouch. _She took a look around and noticed that everything looked exactly the same as the night before. She'd slept the lights on, having not bothered to look for a possible light switch. For a moment she just sat on the edge of the bed, staring at the white floor while trying to wake up properly. Then she heard it. The sound of someone furiously writing on a computer keyboard.

For a moment she remained sitting, gathering the strength, motivation and will to stand up while still feeling like a living dead. Finally she slowly walked to the doorway, stopped to lean against the doorframe and yawned. The first thing she noticed was that the freak of nature that served as Batman's car was back. _Not hard to guess who's the one typing then._

Batman was sitting by the myriad of computers, looking at the screens that were either full of small text or playing security camera footage. Gin cleared her throat, trying to sound irritated and bored which she actually was. First she thought that he hadn't heard it, as he kept typing and didn't seem affected at all by her presence. Just as she opened her mouth to say something he greeted her, still not turning around.

"Good morning, Virginia."

She flinched at the name he'd used, but kept quiet and started walking towards him.

"Morning- yes. Good- not really. I wonder-" Before she could finish her sentence she was interrupted.

"I'm glad that you're awake, we must get going." With that he rose and spun around to look at her. Gin was standing at place, looking defiant with her arms crossed. Her pose was however mitigated by her tousled hair, wrinkly clothes and her makeup that was seriously wearing off. For a moment he wondered if he should say or do something about it, but as his women were usually gone by the morning when they'd reach the stage that she was in, he just brushed it off and started walking to his car.

"It's already half past two, so we have no time to lose." He got in the car, buckled up and was ready to go. But when he looked around looking for Gin, he noticed that she was still standing in place, picking her nails nonchalantly. He took a deep but silent breath, not wanting to give her the satisfaction. "Virginia?"

"Yes?"

"Are you listening? We need to get going, so just get in the-"

"And where are we going? I've heard that one mustn't get inside stranger's cars." Gin was feeling frustrated and patronized, which made her feel bitchy and she didn't hesitate to take it out on the man in the rubber suit.

"If you just get in the car, I'll explain, okay?"

"I don't think-"

"OR do you want to stay here forever?" He hadn't meant to raise his voice but the words did came out a bit louder than he'd meant. Gin's eyes widened a little, but she didn't get upset. _Oh, he wants to fight? _But he had a point, her only way out was in his car. She sighed deeply, staring at her left to avoid his eyes. _Sod this._

Shaking her head she strode to the car, got in and crossed her arms again, avoiding his gaze that she could feel on her. As the platform started to rise, the roof of the car slid to its place above them.

"You know, without that roof I'd have no problem with jumping off a moving car."

"I can imagine."

Gin listened to Batman's raspy answer and then turned to look at him. She was still trying to get on his nerves, but to her the man seemed impenetrable. Which he wasn't, and her new approach to be quiet and stare instead of bombing him with questions was very effective from his point of view. As they'd driven around the streets of Gotham for a while, Gin never removing her gaze from him, he finally said something.

"You wanted to know where we're going?"

"Hell yes." She still didn't remove her eyes from him, laughing on the inside as he every once in a while peeked nervously at her.

"Well, I'm going to return you to your, _guardian_."

"What?!" _Really? What the hell is he playing at?_

"For a few minutes or so." He felt better as now she was the uneasy one. Gin didn't say anything and waited for him to specify, but he didn't.

"Few minutes or so?" No answer. She cleared her throat. "And what happens after that?"

He was starting to look frustrated again.

"He'll be sent to Arkham where he belongs."

His answer made Gin quiet for a while and she stared at her legs for a moment.

"And me?" Her tone was uncertain, as she feared that his answer would be jail, deportation, or her worse fear, foster care. She'd already had enough father figures for a lifetime.

"You'll be put in a program for juvenile criminals, where you'll take part in educative activities and stay with a family who'll kindly provide your living, until you're ready to enter working life as an honest and law-abiding citizen."

She couldn't help snort very loudly. She would have burst into outright laughter, had she not been holding it inside with great effort.

"Me? I _highly_ doubt that." She didn't look at Batman, neither did he look at her. There was tension in the car, and it had just doubled, probably tripled.

"Without your cooperation to catch him, you'd be facing years in prison. What you're getting now is more than preferable."

"And what's all this talk about me helping? I don't even know what the hell is going on!"

"You will soon enough. We're here."

They had stopped in a back alley opposite the Gotham train station. Gin started to climb out of the car, even though the roof was still on.

"Sit." His voice was full of authority, but that didn't influence Gin. As he saw her still trying to push the roof aside, he grabbed her from the back of her jeans and pulled her down. Gin looked stunned.

"How dare you! Get your hands off me!" She tried to rise from the seat, put his grip held her down.

"Stay still and I will."

She sighed deeply and crossed her arms, staying still.

"I could sue you for harassment."

"And I could sue you for a dozen other reasons." He let go and looked at her meaningfully.

"Virginia, I know all the details of what's happened to you. I know that he's held you captive against your will, made you do his shopping and finally used you as a way to get to me. He killed your godfather! Do you not want to get back at him?"

First she had to stifle a smile. "His shopping." Not quite his. "Held captive?" At first, yes. She thought about how she'd really gone from a prisoner to a... what? Pet? Housewife? Lover? She flinched on the inside. Was it really just Stockholm syndrome? She'd left herself get comfortable with a robbing murderer, how could she see nothing wrong with that? Maybe that was what Joker had wanted all along. To make her trust him and then throw her to the lions. She remembered how she'd felt after Maroni's strangling. Hurt, insulted, used and abused. Why should she feel any different now? She'd trusted him, even liked him, fucking hell she'd lost her virginity to him! She swallowed the lump from her throat and feebly asked:

"So, what do you want me to do?"

His eyes moved to her. _She took the bait._

"Excellent, Virginia. I know Joker's got his men watching me because of you, so if they spot you somewhere, I'm sure they'll try something, hopefully rash and desperate. Then is my chance to strike, and-"

"I'm sorry, but what on _earth_ makes you think he's interested in getting me back? And even if he was, he sure as hell wouldn't turn up himself and risk getting caught."

"Now you see, I think he would."

For a moment Gin just stared at him, trying but unable to figure out what he meant.

"Why?"

"You underestimate yourself, Virginia. You're alive, aren't you? You're not the first who's family he's swept away. The difference with you, is that while in the other cases everyone ended up dead, including the young females, you didn't. Why _is_ that?"

She blinked a few times as the information sunk in. He'd killed families before? She should be dead? _Shit. _Why was she alive then? _Could it be... the first time we met, in the meeting...?_

"Virginia? Any idea?" She quickly turned her head away from him.

"No. None whatsoever."

"Well, doesn't matter. I don't know what he sees in you, but I know he wants you back."

"Why _thank you_."

"What?"

"´I don't know what he sees in you?´ I'm that awful? For your information, I don't like to act like a bitch, but this isn't my-"

"Okay, okay, sorry! I didn't mean it like that. You want to hear the plan?"

Gin shot him an angry glance.

"Well _finally_."

"It's simple, you walk into the terminal, sit somewhere and we'll just wait for them to come for you. Questions?"

He hadn't seen her reaction coming. Laughter. She laughed at his plan. After a short but intense laughing attack she looked at him with a wide grin. When she noticed that he wasn't laughing, not even smiling, she stifled her smile.

"You're... serious?"

"Of course. It's simple, but it works. I _know_ that if you're left alone, they will try something. I'll be out of sight, watching."

"What the hell, fine, let's do it your way. What am I supposed to be doing while inside, doesn't it look suspicious if I just sit there?"

"Of course, here."

He handed her a book, a paperback novel with worn out corners. She flipped it and examined the front cover. She had to try to stifle a grin once again, but she failed and turned to him, chuckling.

"_Pride And Prejudice_?"

Batman looked uncomfortable for a moment, before explaining:

"I found it on a bench, at the train station while mapping the area. Thought it might come in handy."

"You wondered around Gotham train station in a black rubber suit?"

"Of course not."

"So, if I were to check the security camera footage from the past few days, I'd see Batman without his mask, picking up Pride And Prejudice from a bench?" _This is so awesome!_

Batman looked considerably anxious, regretting spilling his guts to her like that.

"You can't access those tapes."

"I can't, but I know people who can."

"I'll make sure the tapes are gone by tomorrow. Now, get out of the car and go take your place."

She chuckled for the last time before getting out. She walked casually toward the station, waiting for the lights to turn green and everything. _This is a waste of time, no one's coming for god's sake._

It was a bit over three in the afternoon, and the rush hour was getting worse as commuters gathered to the station to pack themselves into trains. Gin was glad she'd never had to travel in a hot, crowded train as she took a free seat at the far side of the terminal. Her seat was positioned so that while someone was sitting behind her, the area in front of her was open, apart from the people constantly walking or running past. _Here goes nothing. _She opened the book from a random page, having read the novel five times already. She couldn't concentrate on the book, though. _Wonder where Batman is. Is he still wearing his costume or is he like sitting behind me, visible but invisible? _She kept staring at the book, never getting past the one word she kept reading over and over again. _Darcy_.

Finally she took a look around her, freezing in place as she noticed a familiar figure near the kiosk. There, standing by the magazine rack and trying to look inconspicuous, was Larry. _You bloody fool, get the hell out of here! _What the hell was he doing there? Gin hadn't thought for one second that anyone would be stupid enough to walk into a trap like this, but apparently Larry was. _Or the person who ordered him to come here. _Larry noticed that she'd recognized him and winked. Gin tried to warn him when something black flew past her and sped off after Larry who started running like hell, pushing people out of his way. Gin realized that the black lightning was Batman, and felt sorry for poor Larry who obviously didn't stand a chance. As Batman's cape disappeared into the crowd, Gin yelped as she was unexpectedly yanked up and thrown over someone's shoulder.


	14. Makeup Sex

_A/N: Yay, I got a free day from school so I got to finish this uncharacteristically long chapter. As guessed, it's time for a sweet reunion. ^~ Sweet as in sweet revenge, that is. AND, I finally got rid of the bore called Batman. Thank you thank you for your reviews, they make my day. Really, I usually read them in the morning before school and smile like an idiot for the rest of the day. Which I enjoy immensely. Do I still need to say that I make no money out of this? There, I said it anyways. Have fun. ^^  
_

The world was just a noisy blur as whoever it was who had grabbed Gin started to run, Gin bouncing on their shoulder. The station was still crowded and she saw people staring after them in amazement.

"Hey! Hey, what the hell?!" She tried to turn so that she could see who was carrying her, but she couldn't. Instead she had to settle for watching the person's backside, noticing that _he _was wearing dark jeans and black Chucks. _Well now I know who he is _not_. _

Soon the granite floor of the station switched to the asphalt concrete of the street, the person carrying her still running. He turned left and continued toward the parking garage next to the station. When he reached the building, he opened the side door, slammed the door shut after them and, _surprise_, Gin thought, kept jogging.

"Hey! Let me down! Now!", she kicked the air with her legs and tried to make him drop her, but to no avail, "What the hell is going on? Put me down at once!"

He finally stopped. For a moment she wondered if he was actually going to do as she said, but then she heard the back door of a van open.

"As you wish."

She was about to ask what he meant, but before she could do that, she was thrown into the back of the van and the doors were closed.

"Oh give me a break! What the hell is this?!" She scrambled to the doors and found no handles or anything else to open the door with. Spinning around, she heard him get behind the wheel and start the engine. With a frustrated growl she noticed that there was also no window to the front seat. She was sealed in a box with no way out, the only light coming from the small lamp on the ceiling. The van started to reverse and Gin lost her balance, falling flat on her bum.

"Ow! You fucker, you're killing me!" She crawled on all fours to bang on the wall that separated her from the driver's seat. "Hey!"

She knew it probably wouldn't do any good but kept hitting the wall with her fist. Maybe he would get annoyed enough to come to yell at her, and she could smash the door at his face when he would be opening it and-

"_Dear_ Miss Cute-but-still-a-pain-in-the-ass, stop it before I come down there and make you!"

And she did stop. She recognized the voice and a smile was creeping its way to her lips. _No! _This was the man who sold her out and made her go through hell! She started banging the wall again, harder than before.

"I'd like to see you try, tosser!" Gin couldn't see it, but the man behind the wheel couldn't help but smile.

She kept hitting the wall for a few minutes, feeling the van speed away, when suddenly the light went out. Gin stopped hitting the wall and sat in the complete darkness for a moment. _Well this is __just great._

"Oi! The light went out!"

"Probably because I turned it off!"

"You... fucker! Put it back on!"

"Na-ah. You don't deserve it."

"Aagh!"

She started hitting the wall with both hands which made insufferable noise. She was awarded with a very sudden stop that send her crashing onto the wall. She was grateful that she'd been sitting close to the wall, so the impact hadn't been strong. The engine was cut off, but Gin couldn't hear the front door open. For some moments it was silent, and she thought that maybe he'd passed out and hit a wall or something.

"Helloo? Anyone there? Are you checking yourself from the mirror?" _Jerk. You'd better not be dead so I can kill you myself. _Little did she know that that was exactly what he was doing.

She sat leaning against the wall she'd been banging and crossed her legs and arms, letting out a frustrated huff. She looked around but still couldn't see anything as it was still pitch-black. H_ow can it be so dark? Not a single ray of light from anywhere... How does the air get in? Shiiit, I'm going to suffocate?! _As Gin crawled quietly to the back doors and studied the seam between them, the driver's door was opened and closed. She got ready to execute the plan she'd been thinking about earlier, to hit him with the door as he was opening it.

As she heard the handle being pulled, she pushed the door, expecting to feel it collide with him. Instead the door swung open freely, and as it was impossible for her to slow down, she crashed almost on her face on the ground. Feeling stupid she kept still, staring at the ground. _Way to go, idiot. _She heard a quiet chortle and closed her eyes in embarrassment and anger. He came to stand beside Gin and she could feel him stare at her.

"I had the feeling that you'd try something like that, missy."

"Nngh." She decided to never lift her gaze from the ground and buried her face deeper in her arms that separated her from the dirty ground. He chuckled and used his foot to turn her so that she lay on her back.

"Well hello there." Joker was smiling down at her, and Gin didn't know how to feel. She was glad to see him, not that she'd ever admit it to him. On the other hand, she was also pissed beyond belief after everything he'd done. Still, she felt oddly calm.

"Hi." She made no move to get up so Joker offered her his hand. She took it, slumping her hand onto his lazily and he yanked her up, pulling her close. _No no no, don't fall into this. _Gin kept looking down as she felt his hands on her waist and his forehead pressing against hers.

"No! I, you, I don-" As she started to speak, she made the grave error of lifting her face and of course he seized the opportunity. She made a feeble sound of protest as he kissed her, but soon she got a better idea. She deepened the kiss, throwing her arms around his neck, and even as she had an ulterior motive, she couldn't help but enjoy it. He tightened his grip on her waist, pulling her tightly against him and she decided it was her time to act. She deliberately moaned a little, before she kneed him straight in the groin. Hard.

He let out a high-pitched, strangled sound and fell to the ground. Gin stood next to him and crossed her arms. She actually felt better, watching the callous jerk squirm with a pained expression before he stopped moving and lay still in fetal position, holding his family jewels. She grinned and sat down next to him.

"Thank you. I needed that", she said, and now it was her time to look down to him.

"Nnrgh, the kiss or the, uh, abuse of my reproductive organs?" He coughed.

_Both._ "The latter one actually."

While Joker was trying to get himself together, Gin took a look at their surroundings. They were apparently in some parking hall. There were only a few cars besides the van, all parked next to each other right in front of a door. They were invalid parking spots, so she inferred that Joker and his men were the only ones using the hall.

"So...", she sounded triumphant and noticed that he was starting to look like the pain was subsiding, "What do I owe this pleasure? You want to use me again? Figured that, "hey, she didn't get killed, she can be reused"?!"

"Fuck", he gingerly straightened himself on the ground, "Ya know that hitting below the belt is considered inhuman?"

"So is taking advantage of someone who's stupid enough to trust you!" She hit him in the stomach, making him curl up again. She wasn't sure whether he was laughing or crying, a bit of both she guessed, as he was shaking and holding his stomach.

"Ahaha, uh, okay, okay, stop assaulting me and I'll explain myself, 'kay?"

"Guess what, I don't want to hear. Thanks for getting rid of the miracle in rubber, though." She stood up to leave, but he grabbed her leg and kept her still. Gin gave him an angry glance.

"Let go, or I'll kick you in the face. And don't think I wouldn't, I've-"

She couldn't finish the sentence before her feet were pulled from under her, and though she managed to soften her fall with her hands, her head still bumped against the ground. She refocused her vision for a moment and felt him sit on top of her.

"You bastard! I could have cracked my skull!" She sat up and tried to hit Joker on the chest, but he grabbed both her wrists while still straddling her.

"And I might never be able to have kids. Let's say we're even."

"Fine, we're even, though there's _nothing_ to justify you using me-"

"That's exactly what I'm trying to explain here! Chill the fuck out for a moment, hmm?"

Gin blinked twice and made one last effort to struggle out of his hold, which didn't work so she leaned back and lay on her back on the ground, staring at the ceiling.

"There's a good girl. Now, you think I used you. I didn't. It kinda looks like I did, but I didn't. Weell, maybe a little bit, but I knew the whole time that you wouldn't get harmed."

She kept staring at the ceiling, the walls, anything that wasn't him. She didn't want to hear, because if he made sense, she was afraid she might forgive him.

"I started to think how to get you back the moment I left you there! I had tipped off Batman, see, he would take care of-"

"_You_ got Batman there?! You sold me to Maroni_ and_ invited Batman? What the fuck were you trying to achieve?!"

"See, cupcake, I didn't, uh, _sell _you to anybody. What do you think I am?"

"Then why did you leave me there with him?!"

"I knew, don't ask how, I just knew that Maroni would be there then, so you were to hold him there until Batsy would come to the rescue, teach the Italian greaseball a lesson, and then Batsy and I could have had a little _talk_."

Another two blinks.

"You used me as a _bait_?!"

"Sounds a hell of a lot better than using you as merchandise, don't you think?"

"It does not! Get the hell off of me, I'm leaving."

"Uh-huh. Where?" He had no intention of moving, instead he leaned closer to her face.

"Like I would tell you. Fine, you screwed me over but you got me out of it, we're square. 'Kay thanks goodbye."

She tried to raise herself from the floor but still couldn't move an inch, as he was still sitting on top of her and holding her hands. She looked at him expectantly and noticed a wicked grin on his face.

"No. No, shit, what now?"

"Nothing, I just find your choice of words, _interesting_."

"A-ha. Interesting, now if you could be so kind to let me move now?"

But he still had no intention of letting her get out of the situation.

"No, I could not. Tell me, did you use the word "screw" intentionally or unintentionally? Because I fully admit, I _did_ screw you. I have scars to prove that."

"Ugh! Don't remind me."

"Wha-at?! Oh Virgin-ia, you're not saying that you didn't like it, are you? Oh, how you wound my manly ego!" He buried his head in her shirt and pretended to sob against Gin's chest, making her roll her eyes at him. He'd let go of her wrists and was now holding her sides.

"You're soiling my shirt."

He lifted his head and stared between her breasts where his face had been buried. Sure, there was a white smudge there.

"Yeah, well, uh, I'm afraid we'll have to take your shirt off." He started lifting the hem of her shirt even though she was wearing her jacket.

"No! Stop it, and let me go!" She brushed his hands off and moved backward to get her legs from under him. She stood up and straightened her clothes as Joker remained kneeling on the ground.

"Psht, what are you complaining, you already look like you've been hit by a truck."

She gave him an insulted look.

"Well thank you, that's exactly what's going to make me spend another second with you. Where's the exit?"

He pretended that he hadn't heard the question, and kept staring at the ceiling.

"Fine, suit yourself.", Gin spat and stomped to the door near the cars. The other door was the one they'd used when they came in, and she doubted that it would open. She tried the handle and sure enough, the door didn't open either. She let out a strangled sound and let her head rest against the door.

After a few deep breaths she turned around and calmly walked back to where he was, now standing.

"Any luck getting out?" Gin could hear the smug smirk in his voice. She stopped at what she thought was a safe distance from him and scrutinized him.

"Since when have you worn jeans? And Chucks?"

He looked at himself and then at her.

"Since this morning. You like?"

"No. You look... odd. Even more so than usual."

"Indeed, but you must know, I did it all for you!" He overdramatically leaped to her and fell to his knees in front of her, grabbing the hem of her shirt in his hands.

"Oh please."

She thought for a moment. _So, he didn't sell me out, he did just "save" me, and he seriously risked getting caught by actually coming to the station- _Gin checked his hands holding her shirt. They were covered in white, red and black.

"Were you wearing your face paint when you carried me from the station to the van?"

The question was unexpected and he looked up to her, looking puzzled.

"Na-ah. It would have been a bit, uh, conspicuous, to look like this on such a public place, no?"

"So the moment between shutting the engine and opening the back door you used to put on your bloody make-up?"

"Because I want to look my best for you, Vir-"

"Oh shut up", she stepped away from him, "You put me through hell and expect me to trust you, while you can't even show me your face? Do you know what _trust_ even means?"

"It's not about _trust_, it's, uh... I guess I should have told you about the plan, but I thought you'd be better off not knowing. The situation was under control the whole time." _A small white lie won't __harm her._ Joker couldn't fully understand why she was so pissed, he'd done everything in his power just to see her standing there in the hall.

"Sure." Gin sat down, tired of being angry. She realized how much more comfortable she felt now than in the presence of Batman.

"What exactly was the goal of this _brilliant _plan of yours?"

"To catch Batman." His voice was bleak which gave away his disappointment.

"Well how did that work out for ya?" she grinned and looked at him as he stood up.

"Not so well, but I did manage to, uh, _infiltrate_ Batsy's cave."

"What? You mean me?"

"Yeah. It wasn't, part of the _plan,_ that he'd take such a fancy on you, but it worked out well. But-" He cut off his sentence.

"But what?"

He looked uncomfortable for a moment, almost squirming while standing a few feet from her. Gin thought that she'd never seen him look like that before, and was slightly worried what the reason behind it was.

"You didn't..." He made an obscene gesture with his hands, imitating intercourse and made a grimacing face.

"Oh my god! What do you think _I_ am?! Of course not!"

"Phew! I was afraid you'd be, _damaged goods_."

"I became damaged goods the day I met you, thank you very much. He was actually going to put me in some bloody "program" that would make me a "law-abiding citizen". Imagine that, he's insane."

"Who isn't these days?"

He bent down to her and offered a hand again, and just as Gin was about to grab it he pulled it back and shot her a dubious look.

"Tell me, have you had enough of domestic violence, or should I get a restraining order?"

"I haven't decided yet. In my opinion, you still deserve a few more kicks, you asshole."

With a deep sigh Joker reached out his hand again and pulled her up. This time he didn't try to snog her, as the last time he tried was still in fresh memory. _Women. _He'd actually hoped that she wouldn't be mad, that she'd be forever thankful for so courageously saving her. _But noo, I get no make-up sex, little gratitude and a kick in the balls. _He started walking to the door that Gin had tried earlier, and she jogged after him.

"Where are we anyway?"

"New headquarters. Even if the penthouse was luxurious and well located, it was no longer, _safe_."

"Wha-what? But all my stuff's in there!"

"Don't get your panties in a twist", he snickered a little at what he thought was one of the funniest expressions ever, "I _did_ send Larry to save most of it." He opened the door with a key and signaled Gin to walk in.

"Larry? Oh shit, Larry! Where is he now?" She remembered seeing him run from Batman at the station, as she stepped through the door. It led to a small room with an elevator. Joker pressed pressed the button to call the lift and seemed to wonder the same thing himself.

"You want a good answer or an honest answer?"

"Um", she really wasn't sure, "A... good answer?"

"Fine, uh, I'm sure he's fine." It was obvious that he was lying, but Gin decided to let it slide. It wasn't like she could do anything about it.

The lift doors opened and they stepped inside. No annoying music this time. _Poor Larry._


	15. An Examination

_A/N: I take 14 was a nice chapter? I mean, the flood of reviews was unbelievable, kept me giggling for days. And some of them even include the words "one of the best". Wou. Thank youuu all. *^^* Haha, and my apologies if anyone was misled by the chapter's title (of course you were, that was my intention). No worries, I'll try to, _make up_, for it. Have to say that I read chapters 8 & 9 again, and holy shit and oh my god, I can't believe I wrote that! I feel so dirrteh. And I'm about to do it again. That's why I needed some extra extra time, sorry to keep anyone waiting. But yeah, it's final, I'm going to hell. And I'm dragging you all there with me. Skip this chapter if you're too young or too prude to understand a bit of funny business. Haha. ^^ To celebrate Valentine's Day I put this all in one big chapter instead of splitting it like last time. Oops, I'm babbling.  
_

The elevator started to rise and Gin took a deep breath. She glanced up and noticed that there was nothing to indicate how many floors there were or which one they were headed to. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Joker looking at her, and she slowly turned her head enough to let him know that she'd noticed. He kept staring.

"What?"

"_No-thing_, I was just thinking..." His voice drifted away and he turned his head away from her, tempting her to ask what he meant.

"Ngh, dare I ask what?"

"Well, ya know, there aren't any cameras here in the lift, if you'd feel like,_ thanking, _me for rescuing you." His words were accompanied by a suggestive wiggle of eyebrows, but Gin pretended not to get his meaning.

"Uh, thank you?"

He rolled his eyes.

"_Oh_ Virginity, wouldn't you like me to teach you some new tricks?"

"I've had enough of your _tricks_, thank you very much. And you weren't supposed to call me _that_ anymore."

"Mm, there are some tricks I know you'd appreciate greatly." He turned to her and took a step forward. Gin automatically took a step back and her back hit the elevator wall. _Shite, not again._

"And, I'll soon be able to call you that, because, ya know, if you don't use it, it'll grow back." He stepped a little closer and leaned on the wall with his other hand, pretty much closing her in the corner.

"Oh my god, you're disgusting! _It _will not grow back, and please, leave me some breathing space, will you? Or do I have to knee you again?"

He made a face at the mention of her previous means to make him back off, and leaned back.

"Yeah, about that. You owe me an, uh, _examination _to find out if he even works anymore. That fucking _hurt_."

"Well, that was pretty much the point of it. And only a man can think about sex at a moment like this, I'm dirty, tired and hungry, not to mention still angry at- oh look the doors opened!" The lift doors finally opened and she immediately slipped past him to get out of the lift. She stopped short though as she noticed where they had arrived.

It was a basic apartment with a very depersonalized interior. It was very open, the elevator opening straight to the living room which was in the same space as an open kitchen, similar to the one Gambol had had. All the furniture was, Gin noticed, from the penthouse.

"You nicked Gambol's furniture?" _Where did he find this place?_

"Noo, I brought _your_ furniture to _your _new home", he stopped to stand beside her, looking proud, "Wanna see the bedroom?"

"_No._"

"Suit yourself, then." He shrugged before walking deeper into the living room and slumping onto the sofa.

_Oh, great, now he's sulking. _She cleared her throat.

"Did you say some of my stuff got rescued?" She walked to stand behind the sofa to look at him, he was lying with his eyes closed and hands behind his head.

"Oh grow up, how old are you?" After asking she really started to wonder how old he actually was. She really couldn't tell from his face with all the paint, but she leaned in, over the backrest of the sofa for closer investigation. She really couldn't draw any conclusions from his face, so she backed up a little, putting her elbows on the backrest so she could lean on it and support her head in her hands. Her head kept still but her eyes studied him from head to toe. _Well, he's fit, but that doesn't prove anything. And those jeans and shoes, they make him look almost juvenile compared to-_

"And _a-gain_, I feel like I'm just an object to gaze on, have you no shame Virginity?"

Gin's head snapped to look at the direction of the voice, he was now looking at her. She straightened herself and tried not to feel like she'd been caught doing something naughty.

"I was _just _wondering how old you are. And stop calling me that!"

"No. And you still owe me that, _examination_, but because I'm a gentleman, I'll let you decide when to do it", he propped himself up on his elbows to see her better, "But I must say, every wasted minute, diminishes _his_ chances of survival. If we lose _him_, how will you able to live with yourself?"

"_Him?_ Who the hell are you talking about?"

"Who? _Who?!_ _Him _of course, the one you _brutally _assaulted! What was it... _Mistah J_?" He signaled to his groin and and looked at her with a knowing grin. She grimaced and turned around to look for her belongings.

"I assure you, I can survive without _him_."

"No you can't, I know you. You can't. Get. Enough. Of him."

"Shut up, please. I've got a lot on my mind, and I guarantee you, _sex_ is at the bottom of my list."

"Hmm, you sure you didn't let Batsy nail ya?"

"Would you really like to know if I did?" Gin still had her back turned on him, so she couldn't see his reaction. If he even had any.

"Of course, then I would have to, _punish_, Batsy for touching my things."

"I am not one of your _things_! You pig. Maybe I did shag Batman, and there's nothing you can do about it."

Gin walked away to study the apartment and found the bedroom behind the corner. There was her bed, with all the covers and pillows just thrown on it in one big mess. In the middle of the floor was a pile of cardboard boxes, and she presumed that inside them she would find her missing belongings. _What a crappy movejob. _She rummaged through the first box and grinned widely. Her bottle of gin. _No time like the present._ She took a proper draught from the bottle and made a face, the liquid burning down her throat, and moved to the second box.

After fifteen minutes and a few more sips from the bottle, Gin had managed to "unpack" three boxes of clothes and spread them all over the floor.

"You're lying."

She spun around to find Joker standing behind her. _How did he get here so quietly?_

"Excuse me?"

"You did _not_ let him do ya. You're _lying_." He started approaching her with slow steps, a menacing glint in his eye. Gin swallowed and straightened herself while trying not to smile.

"And how do you know that? I can tell you all about it, it was _a-ma-zing_."

He kept getting closer, but this time she decided to hold her stance and kept still, squinting her eyes closed. Sure enough, the next time he spoke she heard him right in front of her.

"I know it be_cause_, it's common knowledge that he has all those gadgets and widgets only to compensate for the fact that he is, uh, _eunuch_."

She giggled and opened her left eye.

"He is?"

"Uh-huh. But guess what, Miss I-kiss-'em-then-kick-'em?" He put his hands on her shoulders and pushed her so that she started to back up towards the bed.

"What?" Both of her eyes were now open, and she tried to look behind her to make sure she wouldn't trip on anything, but he took hold of her head and kept her looking straight at him.

"I'm not."

She squeaked at the back of her throat and her legs hit, she glanced behind her in panic, the bed.

"No. No, nonono." She put her hands on his chest and tried to push him back, put he kept walking and finally she had no other choice but to sit down on the bed.

"Oh yes. Yes, yesyesyes."

Finally he stopped, but only to grin at the image he'd created. Gin was sitting on the edge of the bed, and he was standing between her legs, his... _Mistah J_ right in front of her confused face.

"Oh, you wanna do the examination _now_? Well, _o-kay_, but you must promise not to tempt me too much, as I am deeply worried for my, _uh_, frail soul and even frailer virtue."

She looked up at his face with disbelief and started to back up on the bed.

"Yeah, how about we skip that so you won't get tempted at all?"

He started to crawl after her on the bed.

"Oh, I'll take my chances."

Gin kept backing up, feeling for the edge of the bed to know when to stop. Unfortunate for her, the covers and sheets were still in a complete disarray, and she didn't feel that the bed had ended until it was too late. Yelping, she fell on her back on the floor when her hand didn't find support anymore. Her calves remained on the bed, and she huffed as she saw Joker peek over the edge of the bed, shaking with silent laughter.

"Fuck. You." _Oh shite, not a good choice of words, you idiot-_

"Sure, I see you want to do it, _on the floor_? And I must say, I feel like I've seen this before somewhere... Oh yes, on our first date!"

Gin looked flabbergasted.

"I'd hardly call you breaking and entering into my home and scaring me shitless a _date!_"

"You _were_ a bit jumpy back then. But don't worry, I don't, uh, _blame_ you, my good looks probably made you unable to function properly."

"And I who actually thought it was because you were bat-shit crazy."

"Well, I had to make a good first impression, eh?" He was resting his head on her shin.

"Good indeed! Had I had a shotgun, I would have shot you without hesitation. I was bloody sure you would fucking kill me!"

"A _shotgun_? You sure know the way to a man's h-"

"Don't change the subject! I can't even remember clearly what happened that day, I was a total nervous wreck!"

"Um, _I _say you don't remember anything because you got wasted."

She opened her mouth to disagree, but gave up and looked away with a smile, wondering if he'd realized that she had once again tried to drown her problems in alcohol.

"Theere we go, you're finally taking out the stick that Batsy shoved up your ass."

Her head jerked back to him.

"He did no such thing! And I _am_ still mad at you."

"Now that's, that's just _harsh_. See, I don't usually even keep, _company_, but you're just too much fun to miss out on." _Way to go jackass, why won't you ask her to mar-_

"What are you trying to say?"

For a moment he looked at her like a deer in the headlights, trying to think of something to say.

"What I'm trying to say is, you should be up here instead of down there." Joker grabbed her ankles and started to pull her up from the floor.

"Huh? No, ow, ow, ow!"

He was sliding her up onto the bed and Gin used her arms for support, but when her shirt started to ride up she automatically reached to drag it back down, and because she was already halfway up the bed, the back of her head hit the floor. _Fuck!_

Once he'd dragged her all the way up to the bed, he crawled back onto it, his body covering hers in the process.

"Must you treat me like a doll? I've hit my head so many times today that I've lost count." She lay on her back, keeping her hands on her sides as if not to touch him.

"Be_cause_ a doll is what you are, or _were_. A little pretty armpiece for Gambol to drag around, right?"

"What? No, it wasn't like that, I-"

"Oh puh-lease, you were the little princess, a mascot of the mob circle, shopping and making social calls when not locking horns with Maroni. And I bet you liked that, messing around with a dangerous and powerful man like that." His voice lowered and with every word he brought his mouth closer the her ear, sending puffs of hot air traveling down her neck. She swallowed thickly and her eyes fluttered shut as she felt him remain right next to her ear, his mouth mere millimeters from her neck, but not touching. She caught herself hoping he'd close the distance and sighed in discontent.

"You really don't play fair, do you?" She had to will her arms to stay still and heard him chuckle.

"Of _course_ I don't, but maybe you wanna specify?"

"Appealing to my lowest instincts like this."

Another chuckle. His hand traveled down from her waist, grasped her thigh and, in a sudden but smooth motion, hitched her leg up onto his hip. She inhaled loudly and her eyes flew open as she heard him whisper:

"Why not listen to them?"

She recalled the last time she'd listened to those instincts, how she'd completely lost control, the sights, the sounds, the _feelings_- She bit her lip and looked away.

"Mm-hm, you obviously know what I'm talking about." _It's about time the cat caught the mouse._

Gin seemed to think the same, as she put her hand behind his neck and brought his lips crashing down onto her mouth in a bruising kiss, continuing what had been interrupted back in the parking hall. She drew a deep breath through her nose and felt like melting into the mattress, as he immediately started to kiss her back with passion, finally feeling her insistent resistance fading away. She kept her leg on his hip as his hand traveled up her side, slowly over her breast to the back of her head. The kiss ended unexpectedly as he suddenly turned her head by a fistful of hair, exposing her throat and gyrating their hips together. She was slowly starting to feel deliciously hazy again, the intensity of every movement and every touch multiplied. Maybe it was the alcohol that had loosened her up, maybe it was him, she didn't care. He was just about to attack her neck, still holding her head to the side, when he heard a hoarse curse.

"Holy _shit_." _Did I say that out loud?_

Soon it didn't matter anymore, as his grinning mouth finally reached her neck, half-sucking and half-biting its way downward while she arched her back to help him pull down her jacket. Before she had time to settle back onto the bed, he was already lifting her shirt over her head. She giggled.

"Patience is a virtue, you know, since you wanted to save your soul and all that."

He'd just finished getting his own shirt off, and Gin exhaled loudly as he returned to his position on top of her, skin finally touching skin.

"Frankly, I don't, um, give a shit. And if go to hell, I will see _you_ there, right?"

Before she had time to answer, he'd already started trailing quick kisses down her body, his hands making trails of their own on her bare sides. He didn't feel like being slow or patient anymore. His mouth stopped below her navel, and that was already so low for her that she had to peer down in curiosity to see what he was doing. His hands reached the waist of her pants, and in seconds he was already pulling them down with her knickers. She expected him to lean over her again, and let her head fall back onto the bed. Instead she felt his hands, and_ mouth_, travel up her didn't bother trying to talk, she had enough trouble to keep breathing without sounding like she was choking.

As he got closer to his intended destination though, his mouth leaving wet spots and his hot breath tingling on her inner thigh, she realized where he was going. _Holy shit, he isn't...? _She quickly propped herself up on her elbows and tried to crawl backward, wearing nothing but her bra.

"What, what are you doing?"

He grasped her hips and kept her still, making her stomach swirl at the lewd image he made looking up from between her thighs.

"Remember that new trick? Pay attention, here it comes."

"No, no, you don't have to do thaaa-ah!"

Her cry was high-pitched and strained, and she spread her legs wider, her body giving an involuntary jolt as he opened his mouth on her skin, sucking her flesh into his mouth. He let it slide out slowly and struggled to keep her bucking hips in place, as her head hit the mattress and she fisted the sheets that were already in complete disorder. She was trying to comprehend what was happening, she had always thought that what he was doing was somehow too over the top, she'd never imagined to experience it herself. But there she was, enjoying of it thoroughly in the hands of a murdering criminal. At that moment though, it just made her all the more excited.

He ran his tongue along her sex, and Gin bit down on her lip to prevent herself from being too loud, not succeeding as well as she'd hoped though. With each of her moan and whimper he felt his pants getting tighter, making him increase the pressure and pace. It was more intense than anything she'd experienced before, and she yearned to buck more than ever, but he pinned her hips down harder, probably leaving little bruises the shape of fingertips on her skin, and sucked her hardened bud into his mouth, making her let out sounds they both knew she'd be ashamed of later. It made him grin, and he had just started to trail his fingertips along her inner thigh to join the action, when she began to tremble as an orgasm rocked through her, strangled cries of pleasure echoing in the almost empty room. He kept smiling in smug pride. _That was fast._

He held her still for a moment until she'd calmed down a little, and kicked off his shoes and socks before getting rid the rest of his clothing. God, he hated jeans. To further demonstrate his hate towards them, he wiped his mouth on them and threw them to the farthest corner of the room. Then he returned his attention to her. Eyes half-closed and a smile on her face, she was still slightly squirming as she savored the aftershocks. He crawled from between her legs and up her body, his weight covering her once more, and she relished the delicious sensation of his solid form atop her own. She ran her hands over his firm, scarred chest, following her hands with her eyes and drawing patterns that still tingled on his skin after she'd stopped.

"Fucking hell, you seem to be pretty intent on getting laid tonight, are you?"

"Well I didn't go through all this trouble just to talk with you, did I?" He most certainly had _not_.

"You _pig_. If you had not-"

Her sentence was swallowed by a wanton and frantic kiss, signaling her to shut up, emphasized by him slowly sheathing a third of himself within her dripping entrance. She grabbed his arms with closed eyes and opened her mouth in a scream, but no sound came out. He was almost shaking with anticipation, but couldn't resist the opportunity.

"You were.. saying something?"

She shook her head frantically, trying to coax the rest of him inside with her hips. That was exactly what he wanted to do, and did, as he plunged his length fully into her. Her mouth opened to a perfect O, this time it was all pleasure, pure, unadulterated satisfaction to feel herself stretch around him, and she experimentally, almost involuntarily contracted her inner muscles, eliciting a deep groan from the man lying on top of her.

"You alright?" His voice was strained, impatient.

"_God_, yes."

"Good, 'cause no holding back this time, babe."

The words were a dark promise to her ears, and with that he raised her legs so that they rested on his shoulders, grinning down at her almost shocked expression. It turned into one of pleasant surprise after he started thrusting, though. He drove deep, the angle allowing him to slide much deeper within her. His pace quickened and his thrusts became harder with every push, rubbing deliciously against her. She could only pant and whimper beneath his rough attack, not caring if she bruised and couldn't sit for days, as long as he just wouldn't stop too soon. And he wouldn't, he wanted release, the rougher the better. Her legs went slack and slid down from his shoulders, so he leant over her, resting on his forearms on either side of her body. She put her arms around his shoulders, nails digging into his back as she tried to pull him closer, she was again on the edge, every thrust a step closer to the exhilarating freefall.

"More, please, oh fuck, more!"

The Joker couldn't hear her, he was too absorbed in satisfying the beast that he'd finally let loose, feeling only the delicious burning of her nails on his back and the tight hold of her bare, wet muscles. Then she suddenly caught the wave once more, meeting him hard thrust for thrust, as her eyes rolled back in her head and a shrill whimper escaped her throat, nails scraping new red lines to accompany the old ones on his back. He felt her come around him in a drawn out orgasm, making him move impossibly hard and fast, and after a moment of vigorous slamming into her, he gave into his release and gave a last few brutal thrusts, coming as far inside her as he could.

He savored her warmth for a while, breathing into her neck and holding her hips before rolling to the side. He lay on his back, and before completely drifting into a post-coital bliss he took a glance at Gin, who was lying on the bed, completely limp, staring at the ceiling and gulping for air.

"What the hell _was_ that?" She sounded genuinely confused, and he chuckled.

"Make-up sex?"

"I mean... God, that was feral. Feral, but fantastic," she pulled some of the covers to cover herself, sighing as she noticed that he had once again no intention of covering himself, "and dear Mr. J seems to be working perfectly."


	16. A Blood Red Reunion

A/N: I'll make no excuses. Been a while, huh? It appears that our beloved Mr. J isn't the only one suffering from mental instabilities. Mix that with some financial, social and educational foul-ups and you have my last year. Haha. Yeah. A short chapter, I need to reacquaint myself with this little scrabble before I can continue it with something more meaningful. And reading the old chapters, I noticed some really really stupid things I've written. Hopefully that means that my English has improved since I wrote those. (Yeah, I wish!) And oh mi gosh, even though I haven't been here, you have, adding favorites. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. From the bottom, the only way is up.

_I did it again._

Gin lay on her back on the bed, staring at the ceiling and laughed. _For fuck's sake. _She glanced at her side and noticed that Joker had nodded off, still completely stark naked. Who knew what he'd been up to during the last 24 hours. She smiled in disbelief and amusement, and sat up while still holding the sheet to cover her front. _Christ, the situation calls for a fag. And a shower. _She looked around to figure out where to get a cigarette, knowing she didn't have any herself. So she slowly turned to the sniveling figure next to her. She made a smacking sound with her lips as an idea hit her, and reached for a pillow. She lifted it high above her head.

"_Are you awake?_" Her voice was a mere whisper, he probably wouldn't have heard it even if he'd been awake. No answer. _Perfect_. She grinned in evil joy and slammed the pillow straight on his face, quickly turning away so it wouldn't be immediately obvious who hit him.

He quickly sat up on the bed, ready to defend himself from the bastard who'd dared to attack while he was sleeping. He fumbled for his pocket to pull out a knife, but realized that he wasn't wearing any pants. He looked befuddled for a second, and only a second, staring at himself while Gin was in convulsions with silent laughter. He noticed her shaking.

"What the hell?" He sat back down on the bed, still pondering what had awakened him.

"Can I bum a fag?" She sat on her legs and wrapped the sheet completely around herself.

"Can you _what what_?" He fell back on the bed after realizing that there wasn't any immediate danger. Gin took a deep breath and turned to look at him.

"Can I _borrow a cigarette_?"

"_Of course_ you can't." He closed his eyes, as if falling asleep again. She frowned.

"And why not? Do you even have any?"

"Yeah. But not for you."

"Why not?"

"You shouldn't smoke. _Aand_, because you woke me up. Hilarious. I should punish you for that."

_Busted._

"Well, I did ask if you were awake first. But fine, whatever."

Gin saw that he really intended to continue sleeping, and realized that the conversation wasn't going anywhere she wanted it to go. She huffed and rose from the bed, taking the sheet with her. As she was leaving the bedroom, she couldn't resist taking a last glance back. _Damn. Why are all the attractive ones either dickheads or murdering psychopaths? Phew. Now, where's the bathroom?_

As she was walking towards the living room, she ran a hand through her rather greasy hair and felt that it was pointing to every possible direction.

"Great. Bloody brilliant. 'Hello, my name is Virginity- shit, I mean Gin, and I haven't showered for a week.'" She was holding the sheet with one arm and reached the living room, heading for the fridge. _Charming._ A half-eaten Big Mac, a can of instant coffee and a bottle of rum greeted her as she opened the fridge door. She was used to a stuffed fridge, and this was the exact opposite. She slammed the door shut in discontent and moved to go through the cabinets with one hand. _Oh joy. _She found a box of corn flakes and shook it gingerly, sure that it would be empty. To her surprise it wasn't, so she awkwardly jumped to sit on the counter, holding the sheet with one hand and the box with the other. She poured cereals into her mouth and laughed grimly at her situation.

Then she heard something. The elevator was rattling and Gin wasn't sure whether it was going down or coming up. If it was coming up, a half-naked redhead would be the first thing they would see. Not sure what to do, she jumped down just as the elevator doors opened. She froze in place and turned her head to look who it was, the sight causing her mouth to fall open as the cereals fell to the floor.

"Larry?"

Larry was leaning on the elevator wall, head hanging and arms limp on his sides. He tried to lift one arm to wave, but instead of doing that he collapsed onto the floor, legs in the lift and the rest of his body on the apartment floor.

"Shit!" Gin shouted and rushed to pull him fully inside. She had to use both her arms to roll him around to his back and she was too absorbed in taking care of Larry to notice the sheet falling to her waist.

"Larry? Oh my god. Larry!" She was afraid to touch his face because it was almost completely covered in dried blood, his nose looked broken and a black eye was obviously forming on his right eye. She wasn't sure what kind of first aid to use, it probably wouldn't be a good idea to give CPR if he had broken ribs. She decided to check if he was breathing, and brought her ear above his mouth while trying to feel a pulse from his neck with her fingers.

"My, my. I nod off for five minutes, and she's already getting her next fix. I've created a monster."

Gin looked up to see Joker strolling closer, already wearing his full attire.

"Christ, Larry came, and he blacked out, and I was checking if-", she was babbling and waving her arms when she glanced down. She squeaked and yanked the sheet back up.

"M-hm, did he pass out _before _or _after_ you took those out?"

"Oh shut up, he needs help!"

She was still kneeling next to Larry when Joker reached them after yawning and slowly walking to them. He rocked back and forth on his heels a few times, before bluntly giving Larry a kick to the ribs, and he coughed in pain. Gin's mouth fell open but no sound came out.

"See? He's alive, no worries." He dismissed Larry with a wave of his hand.

"What the hell did you do _that_ for? What if he's dying?" Her voice was shrill.

"Good ol' Bats never hits to kill, only to intimidate and immobilize. The only cause of worry here is, whether or not _Larry_ was wise enough to keep his yap shut, hmm?"

Larry was still out for the count and Gin was getting seriously worried.

"We should get him to a hospital!"

She heard an exasperated sigh and rose, taking a step back as Joker finally grabbed Larry's legs to drag him towards the elevator. She fumbled with the sheet and tried to follow, but she stopped as Joker stepped away from the lift after dragging Larry in there. The doors started to close.

"What are you doing? We need to go with him!" Gin made a move toward the elevator but an arm grabbed her around the waist and she was lifted from the floor. Though she tried to kick and punch her way free, she had no choice but to helplessly look as the lift doors closed and Larry's unconscious form disappeared. Joker let go of her and took her punch on his shoulder with a smile.

"Sorry sweetheart, his contract doesn't include health care. Sorry to cut your, _um_, passionate reunion so short."

"Passionate _what_? He was half-dead and unconscious! I swear, if he dies in that lift, I'll-"

"You'll what? Hmm?" He cocked his head and took a step closer to her.

"Never mind."

"No, no! Tell me, I wanna hear. Would I also be your first _kill_?"

"Now there's an honor I'd just love to let you have," she mumbled and started to walk away.

"Whoo-ho-hoo, I just _love_ that dirty talk of yours! Keep going and I might have to take you on the kitchen table!"

She closed her eyes in mental pain and kept walking away as the Joker proceeded to giggle quietly. She went to get the things she needed to take a shower. She'd wash her hair in the kitchen sink if she had to.

Fortunately Gin found a working shower in the bathroom, and after standing under the hot water for a good while she hunted down some clean clothes. Joker was gone when she came out of the bathroom, which she didn't mind, on the contrary. With a towel wrapped around her head she called the elevator to check that Larry wasn't lying there dead. She sighed in relief when the doors opened and the lift was empty. _How can he treat Larry like that? _She slumped into the sofa and turned on the TV, though she had no intention of watching it. _And what the hell am I doing here? In one month, my life's gone from a penthouse, gourmet food and nice shoes to some abandoned flat, beaten up henchmen and dry corn flakes. Not to mention shagging a deranged clown. Which isn't too bad actual-_

"Ugh!" She stopped that train of thought and heard the lift starting to descend. _Wonder who _that_ might be. _Gin rolled her eyes, turned off the telly and slid down on the sofa so she wouldn't be seen.


End file.
